Greetings Gail-Friends and welcome back. Sorry that it's been almost two months since I last posted.
I've been working very long and hard on my newest book and I'm so excited about it. It is an illustrated children's book, which means I've been learning a whole new set of skills. I've worked with both Chat GPT and Canva to bring to life a long-time dream of mine. I had this idea back in the 1990's and drew the illustrations with pen and ink. Now, with AI, I'm able to bring those drawings to life with full color enhancements. I'm still working on this project and hope to finish it up within the next week or two.
In the meantime, I want to give you an update about happenings at Golden Cottage. Last update was on July 4. Jem was in a local Independence Day parade representing the Valiant Air Command of the Tico Warbird Air Museum. I wasn't able to attend that day, but was able to watch the parade live on YouTube.
Here are a few screenshots of Jem. He is so amazing. He walked the entire parade two-mile route all the way to the end in the ninety degree heat. He could have ridden on the truck, but didn't. That's the kind of guy he is.
He had a birthday in August and we celebrated all month. He got some new fishing gear and we went fishing nearby. No catching, but he did have a few bites. He's been inspired by the YouTube videos he's been watching. His favorite is Dat Louisiana Life. They catch fish, then cook them. It's also inspired him to cook, which I am all for. I have been cooking for over sixty years and I love it when he cooks, y'all.
He didn't want a birthday cake, but really enjoyed his key lime pie at a new local restaurant. Just add seventy-nine candles, and you'll know how old he is now. I love this man so much!!!!
Speaking of YouTube, we rarely watch television any more. We watch YT videos instead. My favorites are very eclectic. Some British ones, like Kirsten and Yorg - Two Germans in Britain and Escape to the Country, and Nanny and the Moose - Crushing Their 80's. I know it's weird, but I love to watch videos about tiny house living. But, my favorite of all are the music videos. I want to share a couple of channels that are a great blessing to me:
The first channel is Christian Instrumental - which has hours-long playlists of music and hymns combined with birds and Bible Scripture. I keep the channel playing most of the day because it is so relaxing and inspiring when I work around the house and/or walk through the living room and see a Bible verse that inspires or comforts me.
The second one, newly discovered, is The Voice of Zion. Oh, how I love this one. Beautiful music background with the speaking and singing of scripture. Some videos combine Hebrew with the English. Y'all, it is just beautiful. My favorite is Psalm 91. So, so lovely.
A few weeks ago, Jem and I went to our favorite breakfast restaurant, which is Denny's. By the way, did you know that they have a senior menu? You can get two scrambled eggs with cheese, four turkey sausages, and two pancakes for about $8.50? That is the exact same meal as a Grand Slam, which is almost twice the price. Ah, one of the many perks of being over fifty! Anyway, I digress -- the hostess who greeted us was....I pause to find the right words. I was fascinated by her hair style and also by her demeanor. She had quiet peaceful air about her. I asked if I could take her photo and she agreed. We came back and couple of weeks later and I asked if I could have her permission to put her photo on my blog. Thankfully, she agreed.
We talked a little bit both times and I learned that Kathy was, indeed, a hippie. I had to tell her that I have a friend who was/is a hippie, too, and she still says, "Groovy"! We laughed about that. She and I have a lot in common -- we lived through the same era, we have similar conservative and moral beliefs -- so we chatted about that. We also talked about her confidence in wearing such a creative adornment. She said, "I'm at the age where I dress and do my hair the way I like. I do the things that make me happy." Well, I'm with her on that for sure. Kathy and I are not slaves to fashion. We are creative and living life to the fullest. I enjoyed talking with her so much. She inspired me and brought me joy.
Kathy also reminded me of a song from the sixties called I Love the Flower Girl by the Cowsills. Click on the link to listen and read the lyrics. I know you'll love it. And, Kathy, if you're reading this, I wonder if the song was written about you. It's perfect.
Tonnie Woo and Lucy Loo are doing good. Toonie is getting old and has slowed down a lot lately. But, he still spends most of his day out on the screened-in back patio. How he stands the ninety degree heat I'll never know, but he loves being out there. Occasionally, he will come in and lie in the sun on the floor. I love this pic that shows him "cooling it" and I love the shadow of the Magen David (Jewish star) on the floor.
Lucy is such a hoot and makes us laugh every day. I caught this shot of her sleeping on her flamingo pillow. And, don't the jaguar spots of her blanket look like heart-shaped eyes?
And I have to caption this pic with "I'm not a hoarder...I'm a toy maximalist"
Lucy is getting fat - but she can still run like the wind. And, she's the best watch dog we've ever had. We love them and spoil them like children.
Blessings to you, Gail-Friends. Have a good week and I hope to finish this book and see you again soon.
