Catch-up List

1. Right after I returned from my tambour beading class, I went to Cambridge, MD to swim and bike in the AquaVelo of the Eagleman triathlon. The 1.2 mile morning swim in the Choptank River was my favorite part...the fact that the heat index was over 100 degrees on the bike was not. The fact that I lived and didn't end up in the medical tent was another highlight.
2. Jack is now in a walking cast but I'm worried that he's melted into the couch...his mind has turned to mush from all the TV/video games/computer games with which he's been spending most of his time. I'm making him get out of the house today and he insists on calling Child Protective Services.
3. I'm taking an online Art Class (I've never taken one before) called The Experimental Art E-Course taught by Amelia Critchlow and I'm having fun playing with lots of different art materials. I'd like to use them on fabric. But I'm woefully behind.
   
4. I'm also taking an online class from Betty Chen Louis taught through the Shining Needle Society. We're stitching City Scapes and learning how to combine shading and different types of threads to create perspective in our needlework. I'm behind on that one too.
   
5. By default, I have become the family/friend photographer which means, since I shoot in the raw, I have a lot of pics now to upload from various functions...and I'm way behind. I think I have like 1,000 pics from 4-5 major event to "process"...I am, however, proud of this shot of my father's best friend from his 75th birthday party...
6. I just finished reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave and enjoyed it so much that I selected it as my July book club choice -- thought-provoking and a fast read.
   
7. I just put eggs on to hard boil and, for the third time this month, forgot to take them off in time. It seems I only remember that I put them on the stove when I hear the first egg POP and smell the odor...Luckily I caught them before they all explode and send egg all over the kitchen walls...That's only happened to me once. Yes, I know...why haven't I set a timer?? I don't have an answer for that one...dain bramage?
   
8. My BIL Jim brought over a signed Michael Oher Ravens jersey last week (you know, the football player whose life story was made into the movie The Blind Side? Well, Michael Oher plays for the Baltimore Ravens -- my home team). The jersey was to be auctioned off at a fundraiser and my BIL asked me to frame it. It took some figuring but I was glad with how it turned out....and we couldn't believe that it sold for $775!!
   
9. Jim and I went for a walk in our park (aka Patapsco State Park) on Father's Day. We had our eyes open for Orioles...we've seen a number of them this year. Instead, we saw our first scarlet tanager. The male is a beautiful scarlet red. This...plus the fact that the bluebirds moved back into their birdhouse over the weekend, it's been a banner Summer for birds so far!
10. My friend Jill got good news from her biopsy post-surgery. The cancer was found in only one lymph node so she has Stage II cancer with a high likelihood of recovery with no recurrence. YAY!