one last look for a mosaic monday

A few more pictures from Oktoberfest, with a broader view of the experience. Click on the images for a closer look. I was a zombie even before the end of church yesterday, so I begged off my shift and stayed home to nap. Even with a mid-day nap I slept a full eight hours last night! I was one worn out puppy. It looks like we cleared $1000 on the baskets. My stinkin' cute pails were a non-seller. At $5 they seemed steep, I guess, but no one realizes that the pails themselves cost more than $2, the candy filling $1.50-2 each, and then add the ribbon and stickers. There was no money to make on these suckers, no matter how cute! Ken and I will buy some of them to give to a few folks: our physical therapists top the list!

This should conclude posts about Oktoberfest until next year. I'll warn you now, however, that our second annual spaghetti dinner and silent auction is around the corner, so no doubt I'll be posting about that here and there. Have a great Monday, and a greater week!

I am taking this week off, sort of. There are a handful of things that need to be done because they are time-sensitive, but then Wednesday afternoon we will head to Melrose for a very short break. We would have left this morning, except that Ken has a mandatory election training session for poll-workers Wednesday morning. We return Saturday for a Halloween activity for the kids at church.

mosaic monday

It has been so brutally, uncomfortably hot this summer that I have not ventured to my favorite place (or any place!) for summer photos: Cheekwood Botanical Garden in Nashville. Today I am relying on pictures from last year's midsummer sojourn for inspiration for today's Monday Mosaic, hosted by Mary at Little Red House. As Mondays come around I realize that I have limited my photographic worldview. Rather than be stymied by not getting outdoors I need to discover a new world indoors!

It's a day of administration here, with the church newsletter and other, like tasks waiting to be written. Off I go. Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by.

summer bounty

Today's Mosaic Monday is inspired by a stop at a local family's roadside produce stand the other day. I wish I had taken a few more pictures for a little splash of color here: they had blueberries, squash, and yes, tomatoes. At least the tomatoes are represented above, where we slice an heirloom and served it with mozzarella, basil and olive oil. Heaven!

Our own garden is a huge disappointment this year. Moles have destroyed the roots of two of our tomato plants, along with our cukes and squash. Bummer. The rosemary is doing well! We've also got some healthy dill and basil. This summer has been so miserably hot that it's just as well that we have a smaller garden. Being out in the heat and humidity is a medical hardship for Ken, and I'm a self-professed hot-weather-wimp! It's a miracle that I've done any wedding at all, and I'm not keeping up with that particularly well. One of these mornings I'll plunge in if the temperature is actually cooler outside than inside and the humidity isn't bathing me in instant sweat. Yuck!