Today's Gems

This morning I took a more round-about way to the grocery store by going south to Pierceton Road which becomes King's Highway in Winona Lake. I was pleased to see that I knew the couple hosting a garage sale; they attended the Brethren Church with me back in the 1970's and 1980's. I am quite sure they did not recognize me. When I brought my 2 books, packet of notepads, and a decorative dish to the payment table, the daughter told her mother not to charge for the books; the lady then said you can have the notepads free too. So I paid $1.00 for all of my items. I told them I would be glad to pay the $2.25 but they insisted I pay only the dollar.

I don't have any autumn plates. I really like this one. I will put it on a stand probably and display it in my living room or use it to serve cookies, etc. I can't believe how quickly the summer is passing us by.

The two books are for me, not Grace Village library. I do have several pads for grocery lists, but mostly winter scenes. 

I especially like these two pads. I tucked the purple floral one into my stationery drawer to add a note when I send a card. The other one went into the grocery coupon/list drawer.

I continued on to Walgreen's, then Martin's grocery store. Martin's has Michigan blueberries for sale (5 pound box). Craig's Blueberries in our area has been advertising they have berries to pick for the last two weeks, but my husband wants me to buy them at the store instead. I will wash and sort them tonight. Most of them will be frozen. Next week I will go again for a second box.

After doing my regular grocery shopping at Owen's, I drove to Sweetcorn Charlie's where I bought half a dozen ears of corn, some tomatoes, and a large red pepper. The corn at the produce stand is more expensive than that at Owen's. We will see if it enough better to justify the expense. We have lots of sunshine today but fairly low humidity. It was 55 degrees this morning when I got out of bed.

Owen's seems to have an overstock of roses. They were selling a dozen for $6.00. True they look a little past the prime. Whenever I feel like I am splurging, I do the Starbucks Test. If I was like the typical person buying specialty coffee, would it cost about the same as my splurge. The coffee only lasts a short while; the roses will last several days. I decided the floral purchase passed the test. How we rationalize our decisions, right?

I decided to cut the roses shorter and put them in a smaller vase so they would be more compact and closer together.

New Chariot

Today we purchased a 2016 GMC Canyon pickup to replace my husband's 2005 Dodge Dakota. We bought it from Exceptional Motorcar in Defiance, Ohio, about an hour and a half drive from our home. This dealership specializes in used vehicles. It is unlike any used car lots we have seen. Large with about 600 vehicles and a showcase and offices like a new-car business. 

We found the truck description on AutoTrader. At first my husband thought he would like a Tacoma, but after driving a few locally, he changed his mind. The Canyon is a smaller truck, just right for what he wanted. He is excited that it has a remote starter so he can get the car warmed up in the freezing winter before he gets inside.

Gorgeous July Day

When I opened my blinds in my den this morning, I saw one of the sunflower plants totally flat on the ground. We had lots of rain and wind yesterday evening. The plant was uprooted. The other plant was still standing, but for the last week the heavy flower heads have been bent over drooping lower and lower. So I asked my husband to uproot the second plant and dispose of the two of them.

The rain cooled things off and lowered the humidity. I donned my old shoes and went to work pulling out the weeds that have accumulated these past very hot days and weeks. 
The portulaca has benefited from the heat though. The plants have grown larger and are now developing blooms.

I may end up with some color in my patio plot yet.

I walked thru the wet grass to my back-door neighbor's house. She told me to help myself to hydrangeas any time I wanted. I might pick some one more time, but this is the third time and I don't want to wear out my welcome.

These photos were edited with Photopad, my new photo editing program. It doesn't have an automatic "button" to change the colors and sharpness like the old Microsoft Photo editing. I lost that when my computer died. The computer repair company was unable to recover any data or programs for me, and the old Microsoft program is no longer available for download. Photopad is more sophisticated than my old editing program; I think I will like it once I become familiar with it. I purposely bought a computer with a camera card slot only to discover my card won't insert. Maybe there is a technique I am missing. I used the USB cord instead. My camera is maybe 15 years old though so technology probably has changed.

My next decision is whether to try Thunderbird to take the place of Windows Live mail. I did like having a desktop mail program. Have you tried any desktop mail programs you like? I am right now going online to gmail. Maybe I will stick with it, but since our internet connection drops out several times a day, it would be nice to be able to read the emails on the computer any time I want.

Our small monitor didn't accommodate Windows 10 very well with the new computer. Icons and screen views were scrunched up at the edges, sometimes not showing the full story on news sites for example. Changing the resolution didn't solve the problem.
We went to Staples and bought a new monitor. I was surprised that Walmart no longer has displays of computer towers and monitors in the Warsaw store. You can order them online for store pickup, but I was anxious to be back up and running quickly after the loss of our computer. I bought the Dell computer from Best Buy in Fort Wayne on Tuesday. They had a few monitors, but not many, but at that time I didn't know my old one would not work well. It is becoming a laptop and smart phone world.

With lots of fresh air coming into the house, I sat on my loveseat going thru my decorating folders this afternoon. I bought a new folder at Staples when I was there. It has stars all over it, sort of like a "favorites" theme. Since I am running out of ideas on how to create more categories, I decided to pull my favorite photos from the other 9 folders and create that category. It was fun going thru all of the photos to select these favorites. A low-tech activity instead of all of the transferring of files and installing programs I have done the past several days. 

Boat-in Worship 50 years old

Today we attended the boat-in worship at Oakwood Resort on Lake Wawasee. We try to do this at least once in a summer. With cloud cover most of the time and a slight breeze, it was actually comfortable on shore despite the extreme heat we have been experiencing. 

The worship leader, preacher, and musicians are on board the Lily Pad II. The sound projection is quite good. Some people arrive by 7:45 a.m. to board at the Frog Restaurant and then worship from the boat. The service starts at 8:30.

Today I would guess there were about 40-50 boats that gathered around the Lily Pad. Some boats had two people, some whole families, including the family dog. A few boats are there every week to distribute bulletins and dog biscuits and collect donations.

On shore there is a fishing net to collect offerings. Most folks give a few dollars to keep this ministry operating. It has been going for 50 years. Lake Wawasee has lots of summer homes.

The service lasts for 30 minutes. During that time, there is special music (today a gospel quartet), prayer, a short sermon, the recitation of a believers' creed, the group saying the Lord's Prayer together, a benediction. Before and after the service as the people gather and then disperse there is recorded Christian music.

Today's sermon was on the Good Samaritan. Each week a different pastor of the ministerial association exposits. The theme and passages are already decided before the season starts. These are really short devotionals rather than sermons. 

It is about a twenty-five minute drive from our home in Winona Lake to the resort. Today we got a prime parking spot even though we didn't arrive until 8:20. Rain was predicted for later in the morning, but now at 3 p.m. nothing has materialized. Worshipping  al fresco is a relaxing change from our air-conditioned church. We are fortunate that the weather cooperated. 

Gremlins

It  has been quite a weekend and day. Friday night my computer displayed the message "Missing operating system". I could not access Windows 10 thus none of my programs and files. When I went to the configuration screen I saw this. RAID0 (Stripe) FAILED

Today I finally received the name of a reliable computer repair company that works with residents not just businesses. I didn't take my tower in, but talked with a tech on the phone. Since I do have an external drive with most of my files (a few months out of date), he didn't think it would be worth my while and the expense to replace the drive nor try to recover any data. The computer is 7 1/2 years old. So I am shopping for a new computer. Once I find one, I have a big job uploading files choosing settings, installing programs. I sure have missed my computer.

When I was at my bank this morning I cashed a check (the money to go in my wallet), then asked to withdraw $200 for my husband to go into an envelope. The electronic pad wouldn't process my signature. I had to sign a printed slip. The teller thinking he was being gentlemanly asked for the envelope to put the cash into, something I have never done before. Somehow between juggling my wallet, the slip of paper, and being rattled by the change in signing routine, I walked out of the bank without the cash. When I got home and opened my purse there was no envelope to give my husband. I immediately went back to the credit union. The teller wasn't there, but another young man greeted me as I entered and asked "how are you today?"
I answered not doing very well, and he immediately said you must be the lady that left behind the $200. The teller was at lunch and the envelope locked in a drawer. When I returned at 2 p.m. the envelope was waiting for me, and because I had to sign a paper receipt earlier, the teller even wrote my name on the envelope since he had it from the slip.

After my first stop at the credit union, I took 2 bags of books to the public library to donate before going home. As I got in my car, I heard the train whistle (the train blocks all of the east-west traffic in the middle of Warsaw) so I wasn't surprised to find myself in a long line of non-moving cars since they could not turn left from southbound Detroit Street onto eastbound Center because of the train. I sat thru 4 traffic cycles before getting to the front of the lane to turn left. But I couldn't turn because though the train was gone, the gate started to rise, then came back down and the northbound cars turning right filled all of the available space. I had to wait thru two more green arrow cycles before the gate went back up.

Technology and modern gizmos were full of gremlins today.

New Sculptures on Heritage Trail

It is a beautiful morning in Winona Lake. My husband and I strolled from Grace College on the north leg of the Heritage Trail to the creek bridge. I mainly wanted to see the 3 new sculpture/art installations. He had already seen them on a previous walk he took by himself.

The sculpture in front of the Grace College baseball field was given by some acquaintances of mine, Terry and Sharon White. The metal flame represents the eternal message of salvation thru Jesus. Billy Sunday, a famous evangelist who made his home in Winona Lake, is an appropriate choice as Terry has co-authored a book on the history of the town and gives tours of the Sunday home. This piece was dedicated in memory of the White's daughter Jamie.

After crossing Pierceton Road, we soon came to a second sculpture.

As you can read above it represents the seasons of autumn, winter, and spring. Winona Lake is fortunate to have families that contribute to projects like this. The Tucker and Rice families were the donors re the inscription on the nearby bench.

On the approach to the bridge crossing Cherry Creek, this third art piece is a tribute to the lake and its importance in the industry and recreation of the area.

We have had a few rain showers in the past week; enough that the water in the creek is not still but slowly moving. Here we turned around to head back on the trail to our car. About halfway to Pierceton Road, a fawn crossed the trail ahead of us. Often it is peaceful on the trails, but today roadwork made noise and the mower at the Grace Athletic Complex roared. Still it was a nice walk with my husband.

Charley Creek Inn Brunch Buffet

With less humidity and heat, today seemed a good time to try the Sunday buffet brunch in the courtyard of Charley Creek Inn in Wabash Indiana. The buffet is the first Sunday of the month May thru September.

In the past we have eaten at the Sunday buffet at Eugenia's Restaurant about a block west at the Honeywell Center. The prices are about the same, $12.95 for Eugenia's, $14.95 for Charley Creek, but the variety and selection at Eugenia's is greater. There is an extra charge for beverages at both places.

The food was good at Charley Creek, but few selections.

I liked the potatoes best. I am not a biscuit and gravy person, but my husband said that was pretty tasty. The cheesecake could have been a standout if there was some kind of sauce, not just the fruit to put on top. I doubt we will return. The regular restaurant is open for breakfast with ordering from the menu. 

There were some little black gnats that kept trying to land on the food. I guess there isn't much that can be done about that when dining al fresco, but it was annoying. The buffet is entered from the side street (Miami?). We used the restrooms off of the lobby before being seated for our buffet brunch.

After dining, we strolled east a few blocks on Market Street. Not much open. I noticed on the posted hours of the shops, that most of them are closed on Mondays as well. Charley Creek Inn has an ice cream and candy shop open during the week so that would be a nice outing, combining browsing shops and having a sweet. There is an antique store that was going to open at noon on Sunday. 

Other than attending performances at the Honeywell Center (nationally known but older stars, the Fort Wayne Symphony Xmas concert), stopping once at the Charley Creek Gardens several blocks north of the hotel, eating at Eugenia's, and a long time ago visiting a bookstore, we haven't done much to explore Wabash.

Heading south on highway 15 (Cass Street in Wabash), one passes the restaurants and strip malls on the edge of town, then the road starts going downhill past some houses, churches, Carnegie library, to Market Street where the Honeywell Center is and also Charley Creek Inn and small shops, mostly made of brick. The hills "lead" down to the Wabash River.

The old downtown has some interesting murals on the sides of buildings. They are well-painted looking like real shop fronts.

This mural is on the Bradley building which houses now an espresso shop but at one time was a market. The elephant is part of the town "legends". Modoc escaped from the visiting circus in 1942 and "rampaged" through downtown, chasing off the roasted peanuts vendor and scarfing down the peanuts before charging thru the store and out a back door. Maybe you can see the little painted elephants along the curb on the sidewalk. There are some on Market (this main street) and a few on Miami Street.

You can also see in the photo above the eastern façade and entrance to Charley Creek Inn across the street from Modoc's.

Who was Charley? Charley was a chief of the Eel River group of the Miami Indians. He signed various treaties. He owned a sizable tract of land in Wabash near the creek. This property eventually was purchased by the Honeywell family. They built a large house with extensive grounds. Some of the property is now Charley Creek Gardens, open to the public to use.

The Indians were not treated well throughout Indiana history, but some of the tribe names and Indian words are enmeshed in the names of roads, parks, etc. (Potawatomi, Miami for example) of modern-day Indiana towns and state parks. 

It was a pleasant drive through small towns and the countryside to Wabash today.

Fourth of July Bouquet

Sunflowers and Sad Situation

Our partial sunny skies of  this morning have turned gray this afternoon. I am hoping to grill salmon tonight. The forecast is for rain tomorrow morning so maybe it will hold off tonight.

Instead of yellow sun, we have yellow sunflowers. Yes, they opened earlier today.

You can see the eastern plant has reached its height limit unless it curls up under the soffit. 

I see about a dozen portulaca plants that have reached a few inches high in the front of my patio plot. The Asiatic lilies are finished blooming so it would be nice to have a few colorful blooms but it remains to be seen if the moss roses will survive. That part of the plot floods often, and thunder storms are projected for the rest of the week.

A disaster has occurred to the couple that lives next door. She had a hysterectomy about 2 weeks ago. We all sign consent forms that list the risks of surgery, but you never expect to be the one who experiences the bad things. A police car and two ambulances pulled up in front of their house Monday night. I didn't see her put in an ambulance, but he backed the car out of the garage and followed it, the ambulance lights flashing but no siren. The official news we have received thru the prayer request is that she has a blood clot in her lung and that her heart has stopped multiple times in a hospital in Fort Wayne. The unofficial news is that she is unresponsive and the family has been told to gather.

My husband's brother in December also had clots after surgery, one going to the brain to cause a stroke, and a few days later one to the lung that killed him. We know these people are in God's hands, but it doesn't keep us from being sad when they and their loved ones suffer.

We received news late this afternoon that my sweet neighbor has died.