While I was away

While I was not blogging actively, many things happened.  I hadn't stopped reading blogs.  I just had not been active in commenting or posting.  One day, I read Granny Annie's post.  In that post she mentioned how much she had missed her blogging friends during her absence.  I was sorry to learn that her husband had passed away.  And then, a longtime blogging friend was losing her dear feline friend, Abby.  I realized how much I was missing these virtual friends by not being around.

In June I took a trip to Europe.  I'll post about that trip from time to time.  After the tour that I was on, I traveled on to Estonia.  I had been there in 2003 with a group from my church.  Since then our church and the church in Allika have been in close contact, and from time to time, members of their church have come to Florida to visit us.  One of those ladies has become a good friend.  She has stayed with me both times she has been here.  So, after the tour I was on finished, I traveled on to Estonia to visit Tiina and her family and the church family there.

The header photo on my blog is at Tiina's house.  While I was there, the sun was bright at 4 in the morning, and there was still bright sunlight at 10:30 at night.  Their gardens flourish during these times and everyone loves being outdoors, soaking up the sun, having picnics, and all the things we associate with summer.

Tiina's yard

 

Tiina's yard and garden

 

Tiina in the center, with her sister and mother

Yummy strawberries, fresh from the garden

Then and Now

It wasn't so long ago that Ella could be seen with Hector, the neighbor's cat.  She followed him around and really imitated his every move.  When he licked his paw, she would lick her hand.  When he stretched out in a comfortable position, Ella did too.
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When I was in Virginia  this month, I saw Hector again.  Actually, I see him every time ago.  He's such a good old boy.  He lets the children stroke him and pet him all they want.  There is a new cat in the family now.  And he is friendly like Hector.  I asked Ella's mom if the family had gotten the cat to be there for whenever they didn't have Hector any more.

She said, "No."  They had seen the cat, and her daughter, Ella's friend, begged her mother for the cat.  Mom said that they couldn't get the cat because it would cost too much to feed and take care of two.  The daughter went and got fifteen dollars that she had received for her birthday and said, "Here, Mom."  What could Mom say then?  So they ended up with another cat.

Here are Ella and Hector today.  If you look closely at Hector's right ear, you can see that some of it is missing.  He apparently was a loser in a fight.  He's still the mellow cat, and Ella still loves him.

Back Home in Florida

I thought I might try to post each day in August, but I failed miserably.  I didn't have my computer with me, although I did have a tablet.  I tried a few posts.  They worked, but not as easily as they would have if I had had my laptop with me.

I spent August in Virginia with my daughter and my son and his family.  August is a special month because it is Ella's birth month.  We celebrated her seventh birthday on the fourth.  Actually she had a party with her friends on Saturday, then on Sunday we celebrated as a family.  We had dinner together at a restaurant and then went back to Aunt Sarah's condo for cake and presents.

The last week and a half I spent at David's with Ella.  The summer program that she was in ended before school started, so they asked me if I would mind staying with her.  Well, do you think I minded?  Not one bit.

I'm impressed

Ella's birthday was August 4. She turned seven. This week, since her summer program is over, I'm staying with her during the week while her parents work.

On Monday morning, when she had finished breakfast and done her treatment, she sat right down to write thank you notes. I was not surprised. Rather, i was impressed. How many times have you received a thank you note lately?

Well, I tried to upload a photo, but mobile Blogger says the format isn't supported.  Jpg.....hmmm. oh well, most of you have seen it on Facebook.

A test

I just installed Blogger on my phone and did a quick post. However, it did not publish. Now I'm trying my tablet to see if it does any better.

Just a teaser

 Ella, on Saturday, before her guests arrived for her "My Little Pony" birthday party.

Ella, on Sunday, after a trip to Build * Bear to build this pony.  Yes, there are other items besides bears.  She also has Rudolph the Red Nos*d Reindeer and his girlfriend.  She had a very happy birthday.

The Bella

Well, I was going to try to post a photo of Ella from Facebook, but the link didn't work. (I know why now. On FB I limit who can see my photos to my FB friends.)  When I get home and have access to my own computer, I'll work on getting some photos up.  Ella had a great party on Saturday with five friends who magically turned into "My Little Ponies."  With fancy hair barrettes and "tails" made with flowing ribbons, they pranced around and enjoyed themselves immensely.  Ella's mom made all of the decorations, and is her style, everything was elegantly made.

The center of the table had bowls of daisies because that is what the one particular pony eats.  Everything was fitting with "My Little Pony."

After the girls went home, one little friend remained and spent the night with Ella.  She is her friend from pre-K. Since they don't go to the same elementary school, they don't see each other as often as they would like, so having her spend the night was extra special for both girls.  David said they were out like lights as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

On Sunday, they came to Charlottesville to get a present for Ella fro Build * Bear.  Of course, it was one of the ponies.  We had a good lunch together at Ruby T*esday and then came back to her aunt Sarah's apartment for cake and ice cream and more presents.

She had a wonderful two days of celebrating her seventh year.  In the meantime, I'm enjoying the cooler temperatures here in Charlottesville!

Happy Birthday, Ella

Since Ella's birthday is tomorrow, Sunday, the fourth, we celebrated today with five of her friends.  The theme this year was "My Little Pony."  The decorations were very tastefully done by Ella's mom.  Pink and purple were the main colors.  Each girl had a hair barrette that Sabrina had made, along with tails which they wore all afternoon. 

After playing outside for a while, they came in and did some crafts around a table, then on to the cake and presents.  It was really a lovely afternoon.  I posted pictures on Facebook, and when I have my own computer back and can upload the pictures, I will post them here.

Tomorrow, after church, we are meeting for lunch and then coming back to Sarah's for cake and celebrate some more.

An August Challenge

I saw on Facebook the other day a challenge to blog every day in August.  Well, I'm already a day late in starting.  I have been remiss in posting and visiting friends' blogs.  And I realize I've missed a lot.

My computer is on the DL right now.  I drove up to Virginia over the last three days, stopping the first night in Savannah, and then spent a night with a good friend in North Carolina before coming on to Virginia today. 

I haven't been up since March.  It seems so long ago.  I'm here for Ella's seventh birthday on Sunday.  Can you believe it?  She is growing up so fast...too fast.  Hopefully, I'll get some pictures up so that you can see how tall she is, how pretty she is, and I know you can tell by looking at her how smart she is.

I've had a busy summer, and I'll share some of that in subsequent posts, but for now, good night.  I'll be back soon.