"Makes Me Smile" Monday

This is our neighborhood stray/barn cat, and he is our yard's bouncer !! We see him a few times a week, sitting on our patio or by the barn, just watching the festival of critters that takes place in our yard. He's a very friendly guy, too, and chats with Tibbs once in a while. And Jack has dubbed him Satchmo.

Being the hefty boy that he is, he helps keep our critter population in check. . . and this makes us smile . . . except when we actually see him flogging a critter !!

Here's hoping your domain is well-protected, too !!

Enjoying the View

I love long weekends ! Time to do the things you need to do and want to do, and just some time to BE. I spent some time today just sitting on our patio, relaxing, camera in hand, enjoying the warm breeze on my face, and taking in the hub of activity that is our yard. Gives me a jolt of energy just to see things starting to bloom, like these lovelies . . .

Of course, we have lilacs . . . this is Rochester after all, home of the Lilac Festival !

I've always loved foxgloves . . . and now I finally have some ! They seem to be happily adjusting to their new home . . . I brought them home from the garden center earlier this week !

This little guy (and his countless friends !) provides Mr. Tibbs with endless hours of entertainment . . . back and forth across the patio, up on the railing, under the potting shed, on the bird feeder . . . what a lucky cat to have such a great show on all the time !!!

Last but not least is the outline of my veggie-garden-to-be . . . no tillers available to rent this holiday weekend, so we just marked the perimeter for now. Looks like a project for next weekend !!

Happy long weekend !! Hope you're enjoying your view !

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

This guy has the cutest little face, and it makes me smile !

I started a small collection of bears when I was a kid, inspired and aided by my great-aunt Lucille. The guest room I always stayed in when we visited her was the "Bear Room", where most of her vast collection lived and played. I remember she even had a child's table and chairs in one corner of the room where several bears were always found reading a good Beatrix Potter book or waiting to take their tea (all their tea things were already laid out on the table, of course !) Many of my bears came from my aunt, including the handsome guy above . . . he and several others came home with me when my aunt passed away a few years ago. I don't look at them and appreciate them as much as I should . . . I'm still trying to figure out how I can fit them into our decor !! But every time I look at their little faces, they make me smile !

We Have A Winner . . . !

Lately my co-workers and I have noticed a trend amongst our male patients . . . they make their wives do everything for them ! On a daily basis I hear comments like, "You'll have to talk to my wife about that bill; she takes care of all that," and "I'll have my wife call you to make little Susie's next appointment; she's good at that kind of thing". My personal favorite is when the wife calls to make an appointment for her husband, and you hear him in the background relaying his symptoms, times he's available, etc . . . apparently it's just too difficult for him to actually get on the phone and do something for himself !! The amazing thing is that this "syndrome" seems to effect men of all ages . . . it's transcending the generations, I tell you !

So yesterday we found the guy that takes the prize: his wife calls from the MATERNITY WARD to cancel his appointment for later that afternoon . . . turns out she had the baby earlier that morning !!! What a guy . . . at least he waited until she'd pushed the kid out to have her call us !

Gosh, I love working with people !!!!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday's

In an effort to both post more regularly and focus on the things in life that bring a smile to my face, I've decided to institute "Makes Me Smile" Monday's ! So, every Monday I'll be posting a picture, link, story, etc. about something (or someone !) that makes me smile. Hopefully these little somethings will make you smile, too . . . and who doesn't need to start the week with a smile : ) !!

This a picture of the lovely little circle of tulips that stands next to our driveway, near the barn. It's kind of a random sprouting of flowers left by the previous owners . . . I thought about moving all the bulbs to another spot, but have decided to leave them as is, and just "go with it" . . . . . so this fall I'll add more bulbs and officially make it my tulip garden ! Makes me smile every time I pull in the driveway . . . . !

Mel's Diner

Apparently my bird feeder is THE place to be today for dinner ! All the critters seem to be stopping by . . . the chipmunks . . .

. . . the squirrels (doing a bit of gymnastics even !!) . . .

. . . but no birds ! There was one kind of lurking around, but he gave up once he saw these guys !

Now I know why my feeder is empty the day after I fill it up ! It's tough when you're popular . . . . !!

The Coolest Bosses

The three doctors I work for are the coolest bosses ! Not only do they give us both respect and freedom, but they also go above and beyond when it comes to showing appreciation . . . (they don't know about my little blog here, so I'm not getting any brownie points for this or anything !)

Every year, they plan special lunches for each department (front desk, hygienists, and assistants), complete with great food, flowers, and gifts. Us front desk-ers had our lunch today, and boy, did they outdo themselves this year !! We went to the home of one of the doctors (a beautiful historic home in the village near our office) where we found a chef preparing a lovely lunch for us . . . spring greens with roasted vegetables and onion balsamic dressing, chicken french with a sweet carrott risotto, and a chocolate concoction to die for ! Big YUM !! Then, a designer from a local florist/gift shop arrived with baskets, fresh flowers, and supplies to guide us in creating our own May baskets ! How fun !! Would've been even more fun (and funny !) if the doctors had joined in the arranging, too . . . ! So here is my lovely creation . . .

We even got gift certificates to this amazing florist/gift shop . . . that'll be used up in no time ! What a fun surprise ! I am truly blessed to work for such creative, fun, generous, and all-together good people . . . a rarity in today's world. Happy May Day ! I can't wait to see what next year's lunch brings . . . .!