Weekly Journal Volume 2

Monday September 5 - Labor Day

Had a lazy morning, read in bed for awhile, then got ready for the day. Did a quick clean in the bathroom and walked around outside, saw the green worms were on my petunias so yanked them out. From prior experience I know there's no point trying to save them once they've attacked! Everything has the late summer, exhausted look of being past its prime. It's been dry most of the summer and brown, crunchy leaves are falling off the trees. The white begonias in my flowerbeds are finally looking nice after being chomped on by deer several times. Roses are blooming prettily yet too. We had arranged to go biking with Derek's, so got loaded up around 10:30 and headed to the Ironton Rail Trail in Lehigh County. 

We'd never been there but were impressed! It's an easy-riding, entirely paved trail. There were quite a few other bikers, joggers, and walkers to navigate around though. It was a sort of oppressively humid, overcast day but the breeze made by biking was comfortable. We went almost 13 miles in approximately an hour and a half. Tried a couple places for lunch that ended up being closed since it was Labor Day, so finally settled for Burger King. On the way home we drove through rain and it continued off and on the rest of the day. I laid down for a little snooze while Cliff took a load of basement junk to the dumpster. Knew I had to tackle some GA work yet today so barely dozed before getting back up. Spent almost 2 hours at my desk but couldn't do the job I most needed to get done due to not being able to sign on to client's computer. Grrrr. More work that has to get done before Friday. We're going on a weekend vacay so I need to have my ducks in a row this week. Charles's invited us for a brisket supper and we had a good evening with Justin's and Kenny's and being entertained by the kids. Had to go the long way around to get home because a train was stopped on the tracks at all the main Fleetwood crossings. Listened to the lovely sound of rain on my windowpane while going to sleep.

Tuesday September 6

Woke up during the night and heard the rain again. Almost looked as if things were already getting greener on my drive to Lancaster County this morning! I didn't race around trying to get out the door on time. Took my time getting my indoor bike ride/strength training done, then read Messenger obituaries for awhile. Had breakfast, then finally showered and got ready for the day. Today marks one year at Gehman Accounting! Can I once again express how thankful I am that I'm no longer at LVHN?? Been remembering those days again and how miserable that was. There are things I miss but I'm overwhelmingly relieved to not be there anymore. Put in 8 hours at GA and got home after 7. Cliff found his own supper, I snacked on a variety of foodstuffs. Cliff went to help Konrad with his plane again and I got to bed in decent time.

Wednesday September 7

Skipped exercise this morning. Wednesday won't be my usual day for aiding at school but I switched because we'll be gone Friday. Had quite a few things I was hoping to get done before leaving this morning, but only crossed a few off the list. Got caught up on our finances, put in 15 minutes with GA, and that was all I managed besides getting ready for the day. It seems the children are getting more familiar with me and loosening up. I love when they tell stories or volunteer information. 

"I lost a tooth today!" 

"I like your dress!" 

"We put a caterpillar in this jar and it made a cocoon!" 

But they're also comfortable making extra noises during class or talking without raising their hand or anything to push the boundaries a little. Keeps me on my toes! Came home and signed in to GA for 3 hours, made supper in between. Spaghetti meat from the freezer heated up and poured over a fresh pot of noodles with store-bought garlic bread on the side made a speedy meal. Cliff went with Derek and Camille to purchase supplies for the gender reveal coming next week. 🤩

Thursday September 8

After a few cloudy days, the sunshine this morning perked me up. If only I could've taken a walk. It appears my walking days are winding down as my schedule gets fuller. Settled for an early hour indoor bike ride since there was a lot to accomplish today. Threw a load of wash in, showered, and stirred up pumpkin chocolate chip muffins to take along to school. Left a little early to swing by DG for science class supplies. Didn’t have any checking to do until close to noon, so studied next week's lessons in between flash card games. Kaleigh brought a delightful lunch of chicken pot pie and cinnamon applesauce jello for the teachers. Later in the day Crystal came and whipped up frappes for all of us. Bless these ladies and their awesome food! Someone else brought bars for after school, so the teachers were well fueled today! I scooted out pretty quickly after school because I had a lot to get done for GA before taking the day off tomorrow. Stayed glued to my computer for the next 5.5 hours and got a satisfactory amount of work done. Cliff was off today and worked on his basement clean-up and mowed the yard. 

Friday September 9

Slept until I woke up, how nice. Got packed up and left the house around 9:30 for our weekend getaway in NY. It was a perfectly lovely day, sunny and warm but not hot. I've blogged before here about our annual trip to the Hudson River Valley and I'm not even sure how many years we've been doing this now! We do pretty much the same things every time but have never stayed at the same place. First stop today was TFS - The Filling Station in Haverstraw. 

It doesn't look like such a great place when you drive up, but we have gone back there every year for their excellent burgers and fries. If you were to take the same route and do the same things we do, you might not think it's anything special. We find it very relaxing because we are the type of people who think doing nothing is fun. 😄 After lunch, we spent the afternoon at the Stony Point lighthouse, lying on blankets and reading. Cliff watched the river with his spotting scope and only occasionally mentioned the ants. The weather could not have been better!

Why we love it: restful views and surprisingly isolated in a populous community. We lay on our blankets for several hours and only a handful of people came by. Around 4:00 we decided to make our way to where we are staying, which was another hour away. Stopped for ice cream at Weir's along the way. It was a good choice! They serve multiple flavors of homemade hard ice cream along with the usual ice cream treats. My homemade peach in a waffle cone hit the spot. I tried Cliff's pralines and cream and it was top-notch too! Our Airbnb is in Walden, which isn't exactly along the Hudson but looked to be the best choice for our dates. It's a cute, comfortable apartment in the attic of our host's house. I lounged on the futon while Cliff took the chair, soon we were both napping. We stayed in all evening, briefly going outside to look at the gorgeous full moon. I wanted to nosh on something but we didn't feel like going anywhere so I settled for a bag of microwave popcorn which was enough to satisfy. Showered, read, and retired.

Saturday September 10

Slept well and started our day with brunch at Felicia's Little Diner, a homey local spot. My Benedict Arnold breakfast (poached egg, Canadian bacon, and sausage gravy over English muffin) was very tasty and Cliff's plate of a little bit of everything looked yummy too. The 40 minute drive to Poughkeepsie took us through countryside we'd never experienced yet. Farms, lots of apple orchards, wineries, and farm markets along the road made for a picturesque drive. Unloaded our bikes at the Walkway Over the Hudson and spent the next 2.5 hours biking on the paved rail trails on both sides of the bridge.

It was a super calm day and the water was smooth and clear. Every other time we've been here it was fairly windy by the middle of the bridge, but today there was barely a stir. We totaled 20 miles on the trail and it was absolutely fantastic the whole way! We were ready for food by the time we headed out. Stopped for pizza slices in a shopping center just outside of Poughkeepsie. Picked up some snacks at the grocery store nearby, then decided to check out Historic Hugenot Street in New Paltz.

There are several buildings dating back to the 1700's, a quaint village in the midst of a modern town. We noticed there was a trail nearby, so we unloaded the bikes again and checked it out. It was a more secluded trail than the one we'd been on, very peaceful. Stopped on a bridge spanning the Wallkill River and sat there awhile, just enjoying the scenery.

We only went a few miles on this trail. It's so great how you can cover a good distance and see a lot in a short time on a bike! Headed towards our Airbnb, stopping at a farmers market along the way to pick up some fresh local apples, a can of sparkling cider, and apple cider donuts. Sampled some of everything. Spent the rest of the evening lounging, on our phones and reading.

Sunday September 11

A rainy day, and time to go home. The weather this weekend couldn't have been better if we'd ordered it! We took it easy this morning and left the Airbnb a little before 11. Stopped down the street at Orange County Bagel for breakfast sandwiches on everything bagels. Took a more scenic route home through Delaware Water Gap and the Poconos, but it rained most of the way so we didn't stop anywhere. Settled in for naps shortly after getting home, a perfect day for doing nothing. Wasn't exactly ready to get back in the swing of things right away, but it had to be done. Unpack, start wash, unload dishwasher, run vacuum. Listened to church, a thought-provoking message. And just like that, a good week has ended.