One Hail of a day....

It hailed yesterday,
started off slow, and then all of a sudden, it let loose.....
It came down so hard, it knocked branches and leaves off all of the trees....
Golf ball sized pellets, and the air became much cooler...
The pellets that sat on the hot pavement out front started to steam..... and the steam filled the air with water vapor.
It was a surreal scene.....
I wish that I had the presence of mind to video the whole episode rather than expecting the photos to do the trick.
The noise was deafening.
The whole atmosphere was back to hot, humid normal within minutes.
Strange weather...

Escorted by Patriots....

Yesterday,
as I drove my sporty new Fit to the edge of our neighborhood,
I came across a rather elegant group of bikers (Harleys) with large American flags trailing behind them.....
At first surprised, and then dismayed as I immediately saw the hearse and the SUV carrying the half dozen or so uniformed young men following behind.
Then the cars with their lights on and flashing......
At the very least a hundred of them....
All traffic stopped..
There I sat in silence, as a lump swelled in my throat.
By the time the end of the line of cars passed, I was crying out right.
I have 3 teen age boys.....
It could have been them.
How very sad on this holiday weekend that we celebrate our freedom....
to watch a true patriot pass...
I am so very proud that the men who rode those Harleys were escorting him (or her), as I feel strongly that they know from whence he came..

We are so very blessed, let's try not to forget it.

How beautiful is this!

I love the summer blooms,

This flower smells so sweet,

I could gain weight just inhaling......

My life is so blessed.

Tea and Sugar tarts....

Have you ever spent time with a friend's family, only to find that they are much nicer than you had been led to believe?

Interestingly, I know that people will behave one way with their family and a totally different way with their friends. But it always surprises me........

There we sat with our tea and sugar tarts in a beautiful little spring room, enjoying the conversation, only to find that this person that I thought I knew had morphed into a spoiled brat, and the mother that I had been warned about was the sweetest little old lady, who was thrill beyond belief to have the "brat" home.

Go figure......

By the end of the trip, I was exhausted.

I was looking for a way out....

I contemplated faking a death (at home), but was way too afraid of the bad karma that would result.

So, I prayed.

And I prayed,

And I prayed on my knees.....

I really wanted to return to the comfort of my home without having put my foot in my mouth.

I think that I may have done just that....

However, the "brat" is fully aware that I was extremely uncomfortable.

She probably thinks there is something wrong with me.

Which in fact there is...

I have learned a valuable lesson this month.

I have learned that when I go on vacations with people I consider friends, I must be prepared for disappointment. I must also be prepared to leave early if need be.....

I am learning to take care of myself.

'Bout time....