A Blessed Woman

I am married to the most wonderful man in the universe. God sure knew what he was doing when he matched us together.

I am in love with my BH and also with another man, no make that two other men. I stand corrected, I am in love with men.

There is something about men that attracts me to them, like a magnet, and not so much in the romantic way since I am faithful to a fault to my BH. I love the way men make me feel, the way they communicate, the way they smile, laugh, hold their heads, frown, and the list goes on. If they touch me I'm theirs forever. I love men.

I love to talk but put me in a room full of men and I am completely satisfied just sitting in the background listening and observing them. They make me complete.

Like I said at the beginning I am also in love with another man — very much so. When I think I'm over this other man all I need to do is think about him, see a picture or a tweet from him then I am completely drawn right back into his hold. I can't explain it.

Yesterday was incredible. It started off perfect and even got better as the day went on. I laughed so hard I wore myself out. BH was so funny. He teased me so much about my other love that I fell head of over heels in love with BH all over again.

I found out something disturbing about my other love yesterday which of course BH took advantage of. To try and combat this I tried to find out something I loved even more which BH twisted so humorously that we were giggling so hard and loved each other so much all afternoon and evening it was awesome. We were so passionate together that I realized how much God has favored our union. I fell asleep so happy and content.

I woke up this morning still laughing about yesterday and wanting BH to stay home so we could continue where we left off, but he couldn't. It's hard to call in sick when you're the boss. We sat at the breakfast room table and laughed about yesterday with BH still teasing me about my other love then just stared at each other with broad smiles, loving each other.

On his way out the door he said the most wonderful thing a man can say to the woman he loves, "Anne, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met and I am the most blessed man in the world that you chose me when you could have anyone you desired. You make me so happy to be alive. That guy doesn't know what he has passed up by marrying someone else. He is such a fool." As tears were streaming down my cheeks, he leaned down, brushed away the tears placing his hands on my cheeks he kissed me so tenderly. When he pulled away I saw tears in his eyes then he hugged me so intensely that I could feel the love in his body enter mine

I am the most blessed woman in the world.

Three Wedding Blessings for the Donovan's

Jeffrey & Michelle Donovan
 
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.

May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.

May the saddest day of your future

Be no worse than the happiest day of your past.

May your hands be forever clasped in friendship

And your hearts joined forever in love.

Your lives are very special,

God has touched you in many ways.

May his blessings rest upon you

And fill all your coming days.

May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow.

May the soft winds freshen your spirit.

May the sunshine brighten your heart.

May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you.

And may God enfold you in the mantle of His love.

May the road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face

and the rain fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again my friend.

May God hold you in the hollow (palm) of his hand.

When Angels Pay a Visit

It was a beautiful morning full of sunshine and blue skies. It started out normal waking up at a fairly reasonable time, enjoying my morning with my maker then settling in to catch up with the nightly messages from my friends on twitter and continuing my writing adventure with Holly.

I sat there thinking how blessed I was that we weren't paid a visit from our stinky nighttime visitor who had twice visited me this past week -- a neighborhood skunk spraying his or her wonderful scent to attack a mate.

My BH was home safely away from Isaac after being gone for a few days in Florida, but was sleeping in.

I had put off grocery shopping during the week anticipating getting it done on Friday so we would have wonderful food for the weekend. But as luck had it my Friday drastically changed so the shopping was put off until this morning.

I wanted; I should say I had to be home by 10am to watch my favorite show, Burn Notice, so I arrived in plenty of time to get it done. 

I currently live in a state where they have bottle deposits on soda and beer. I always take the empty bottles back on each visit to the store because I detest letting them accumulated. 

Happily arriving at the store after such a wonderful blessed morning, I bounced into the bottle return room only to discover it was dark and none of the machines working. The power was out. Determined not to let this interfere with my mood, I just returned the bag to the car and started walking towards the store to complete my shopping. A cart retrieval person, customer service rep, was in the parking lot gathering carts to return to the store for their customers.

"I gather the power's out?" I asked. 

"Yes, but you can still shop. The registers are working."

So on I went into the dimly lit interior of the super store, trying to keep my hope up that this wouldn't present any problems. It was quite romantic and very pleasant shopping in the dark. Most people were turning around and leaving, so there were very few people in the store.

The shelves weren't fully stocked, the meat department personnel were quickly covering the items to keep them chilled but I was successful in finding all of the items on my list.

I returned home just in time to see Burn Notice, my favorite show on TV, sending tweets out to the universe hoping to get a response then watched White Collar another TV series I enjoy.

After the shows concluded I sat by my computer admiring the wonderful sunlight streaming through the window in an adjacent room and decided to look out the front door.

After I opened the door and peered outside I noticed a small gift bag, with poke-a-dot tissue paper sitting on one of the steps. My first thought was who left that, immediately followed by the thought it might be a bomb.

I had to laugh at myself because of such a drastic thought and realized maybe I have been watching too many crime shows on TV or maybe I was attracted to them for this very moment. I quickly ran back to get advice from twitter because BH was away from home golfing with his friends. Alas no response.

I went back to the door and examined the package again through glass then slowly made my way outside to see if there was a visible note. No, there wasn't. So back inside to see if twitter responded to my question of what to do. No luck. So back I went determined to settle the mystery of gift bag. 

Luckily I glanced across the street only to discover they also had a gift bag with tissue sitting on their porch. I approached the street and took a walk towards my next door neighbors to see if they also had been paid a visit. Sure enough they also had a bag. Each bag was a different color as well as the tissue paper. 

How interesting. Either we all receive a gift from an anonymous stranger or someone wanted to blow up the entire block. Either one was possible.

So back home I went deciding someone had to be brave to protect the neighborhood in the event they were all bombs. I slowly lifted to bag and removed the tissue only to discover a mug resting on its side at the bottom. Another trap? I slowly lifted the mug out of the bag and it had writing on both sides. The words "Hope" in small letters filled the outside of the mug with a large "Hope" in the center on each side. There was card inside so I lifted it out without reading thinking it was only a description of the mug. We had been visited by angels.

I searched the bottom and sides of the bag to find a tag indicating who it was from with no luck. I then examined the small card inside the mug again. It was a note inviting the recipient to come to their church this coming Sunday to fill their new mug with Starbucks coffee and join them in fun and worship.

What a wonderful gesture from a church. Instead of knocking, then personally inviting each person in the neighborhood resulting with their visit forgotten months from now, they left everyone a present instead.

I have been taking care of a neighbor's cats while he is away on vacation and today was the last day since he will be back home tomorrow. I went to feed them and thought of the bag awaiting him on his return. The sinful side of me said to take the bag home with me because he wouldn't even know it existed, then both BH and I would have a mug from an angel but decided that wasn't right. 

Then I recalled my elderly neighbor was recently admitted to a nursing facility. I could take hers. I quickly went over to her house only to discover someone else must have had that same idea, because hers was gone. I quickly went back to my other neighbor's house where I was cat sitting and took his bag and went into his house to feed and spend some time with his cats. 

I gently lifted the tissue only to discover his mug was different. Mine was white on the exterior with sea green lettering and a sea green interior. Whereas his was purple with the words "peace" written on the mug.

I sat there petting Blitzen, his black and white cat, and thought they were angels who had visited us and each had a message for us. 

BH and I are at peace, whereas I need hope and maybe BH as well. I thought about my neighbor's life, that I knew of, and he needs peace. How insightful those random placed mugs landed on each of our doorsteps. I now wonder what my wonderful elderly neighbor's mug said, and regret that someone took hers. It might have been very uplifting for her to have that in her room in the nursing home at this time.

Whether any of us visit that church we will always be reminded of the wonderful gesture and message on those mugs. We all received a blessing from the angels, messengers from God, today.

Another Trip to a Farmers Market

Last week I wrote about visiting two Farmers Markets, this week I visited a third one. The first two Farmers Markets were somewhat disappointing, but rewarding since we enjoyed delicious homegrown produce and I also enjoy spending time in each town. So I ventured out to yet another one in our area and was extremely glad I did.

I went to the Farmers Market to the south on Wednesday which is about ten miles from home. It opened at 3pm and I arrived shortly thereafter. It didn't have a large amount of vendors, but each vendor was unique and well supplied. There were approximately fifteen vendors and I purchased an item from almost everyone.

The market was set up in the library's parking lot. One of the vendors sold used books that were also available inside the library. Children's books were 50¢ and books for adults were $1.00. They had a small amount of books but a wonderful variety, and I found two. They were all in excellent condition, like new.

Another vendor sold fresh eggs. Unfortunately, I had just purchased a couple dozen so wasn't able to try his.

Two vendor had homemade craft items. One took used bowling balls and golf clubs to make unique yard ornaments. Some looked like spiders, others like ladybugs, there were mushrooms, turtles and more. A very cleaver way of recycling items that others had discarded.

One vendor made wooden bowls from various types of wood. The bowls were of various sizes made with excellent craftsmanship. He also sold other items, such as knives and bottle cork screws made from carved wood.

One vendor had homemade soap made from goats milk that were scented with various fragrances or you could purchase them non-scented. She used different molds, so they came in various sizes and shapes. I purchased small ones for the bathrooms and a larger one for the kitchen hoping to introduce a wonderful fragrance to each room.

The vendors in the two previous markets were mostly women, where this market was mostly men and the ages varied from young to more mature.

There were two vendors who sold homemade baked goods. One had delicious cookies and bars of various sizes and scones. Of course, I had to purchase chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies for my family to enjoy. I must say they were delicious.

The other vendor sold homemade bread that her mother made. A large variety including sourdough, multigrain and even rye. Once I saw the rye bread I knew we were having BLTs for dinner that night. She also had other bake goods includes jumbo cookies and muffins. I was tempted to try her jumbo chocolate chip cookies, but had just purchased regular sized ones from the previous vendor.

Then there were the produce vendors. What a variety they each offered, too numerous to mention here. From fresh home picked large, plump peaches that were perfect for a pie or cobbler, to grapes for snacking or making jelly,

to Michigan apples for another pie or dipping in caramel and nuts or just snacking, 

to kale for my delicious homemade soup, to various types of squash such as summer, zucchini and acorn that would make an excellent side dish or chips for snacks, 

to root vegetables including carrots, potatoes, turnips, onions, and beets. 

There was corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, peppers including hot and regular, cabbage, homemade fudge and much more. 

And of course watermelon and cantaloupe.

One vendor had fresh picked glads (gladiolus). I am accustomed to seeing glads at Farmers Markets which the other two didn't have. They were beautiful.

It was a wonderful experience. Every produce was perfect and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner that evening and delicious items for breakfast the next day. I am looking forward to returning to that market before they close for the season to enjoy the good food from Pure Michigan.

A Trip to the Farmers Market

Most cities, large and small, have a Farmers Market. They are open on various days and times each week during the summer months. You would think that the vendors are farmers but not necessarily so. The vendors are normally from within the community or from a nearby community where they bring items to sell. These items can be produce, finished goods such as jam, jelly, or bake goods and other homemade items. The food items can be from a farm or they just can be from a large backyard garden.

Some Farmers Markets are huge and others very small. For example, Eastern Market, in downtown Detroit has been around since 1891. It's open one day a week, Saturday from 5am to 5pm, all year long. 40,000 people visit the market every week which consists of over 250 vendors. It’s huge. In the spring they sell flowers and vegetable plants for your garden to start your summer. In late summer large quantity of fruits and vegetables can be purchased by the bushel to can or freeze. Others Farmers Markets can be quite small, with only six to ten vendors. Either way, they are often fun to attend.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to visit the Farmers Market in a nearby town. Since living in the community I haven’t attended one locally. I have on vacation and enjoyed the fresh produce which is far superior to what is found in a grocery store and even a local produce market. In our community some produce markets purchase their produce from Detroit’s Eastern Market which I prefer.

I live somewhat in the country near 4 cities of various sizes, all of which have a Farmers Market. One is to the north, one is to the west, one is to the east and one is to the south. The one to the east is the home of a major university. All of the cities are different sizes and each offer different types of stores. I decided I needed to visit the Farmers Market since the local vegetable stand has disappeared and we miss the fresh corn, tomatoes and other items they sold.

Now I had to choose which one to attend. I decided to go to this quaint Village instead of the larger city mainly since it was Tuesday and they were open on Tuesday. The one in the city wasn’t open until Wednesday and parking is difficult.

So off I went, camera in hand to purchase vegetables, take pictures and write this blog.

The Village has built a permanent place for the Farmers Market. It has a roof to provide shelter in the event of rain, shade from the hot summer days, and has its own parking.

I arrived only to find a handful of vendors or maybe a handful and a fingers worth. I was surprised how small it was. All of the ones I had previously attended were much larger and each vendor had a lot of food items. There was only one vendor that had food as I expected, but still not the variety. But then we have had a severe drought this summer which could account for the lack of vendors, available items, and quantity.

I took some pictures and bought a small amount of produce to try at home for my family. If it was tasty I would return on Saturday to purchase more.

The food was delicious. I had only purchased tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and watermelon. The watermelon was perfectly ripe. It thumped when tapped and was dark pink inside. The best we’ve had in years. It was one of the seedless types that are quite small. Each kernel of the corn was perfectly formed without worms and the tomatoes didn’t need to be set out for a couple of days to ripen.

Because of various events and distractions I didn’t return that Saturday or the next week.

Yesterday I wanted to revisit that same vendor but knew she wouldn’t be at the same Farmers Market. On Saturdays she attended another one further way.

Saturdays are hard for me to go anywhere except our local supermarket since I have to be home at 10am to watch Burn Notice. I was told the market opened at 7am and closed at noon. I had planned to be there at 7am to give me plenty of time to be home by 10 but was disappointed since I knew there might not be enough time to visit the city and take photos. But as luck had it I overslept so was unable to arrive by 7am, I would have to wait until after Burn Notice aired to leave.

I love the city where she was going to be. It is much nicer than the large university city closer to where I live. The shops are wonderful as well as the people. The university city naturally appeals to students whereas the other city appeals more to non-students. I love the small boutiques, antique shops and the variety of goods offered. The shopping areas are about the same in size. This city has ample free parking whereas close parking in the university city is sparse and metered causing constant monitoring of the time distracting from the enjoyment of visiting the city.

As soon as Burn Notice was over I quickly gathered my things and left. Unfortunately I wasn’t as ready for my trip as I thought so I didn’t leave exactly at 11am. I stopped at McDonalds to get an iced tea for the short trip which also took up time. By the time I reached the Farmers Market they were getting ready to pack up for the week.

I was told there were 30 vendors at this market, but it seemed much smaller. Even though this was a much larger city than the last one, it didn't have a permanent structure for the vendors. Each vendor had to put up a canopy for their stand.

I quickly made my way through each vendor stopping at one which turned out to very unfriendly and more concerned about closing then selling any of the remaining produce. Why I thought would they rather take it home and have it rot then take the additional time to sell it to us? I wasn’t the only one interested in their goods. They had a small pint size container of potatoes. I asked how much and she told me $3.00. Can you believe that? I can get 10 pounds of potatoes on sale for $3.49. I couldn’t see how hers could be that much better for just a faction of the amount. Regretful to say I bought tomatoes from her which tasted rotten and partially spoiled our dinner.

I found the vendor from the first Farmers Market. She is very friendly and her prices are very reasonable. She probably could charge more, especially since she is the busiest with the largest quantity and the best produce. Her cantaloupes are huge, the size of a seedless watermelon. Since I didn't park close to the market I decided I could only carry one of them, so chose the watermelon hoping it would be as wonderful as the last one. She had someone helping her, which could have been her husband or older son. The one he chose wasn’t to my liking but I took it anyways. It didn’t look ripe enough from the outside. I prefer the outside darker green than this one appeared. I also purchased more sweet corn, which was delicious.

Once I put the items in the car, I moved the car closer to Main Street to take my walk and capture photos, not planning on doing any further shopping. The Purple Rose Theatre Company was on my list of pictures to take. This city is the hometown of Jeff Daniels who started the Theatre. He has since moved back to the area and is in the city quite often.

In my hurry to leave for the Farmers Market I failed to visit the bathroom before I left and the iced tea felt so soothing I drank more than I anticipated. I don’t know about you, but iced tea flows right through me.

At the first corner I turned right and ventured down the sidewalk. I found a wonderful shop that had a white t-shirt from Pure Michigan that I wanted to check out. It is late summer and of course the display one was the only white one they had and I wanted white. The shop was wonderful and I resisted buying anything.

I continued my journey taking photos until I reached the next street and turned right again because there was sign on the corner that gave direction to various stores and one said Bookstore. There was a wonderful shop owner outside her store which turned out to be the bookstore called Just Imagine. She sold children’s toys, books for both adults and children plus other items. She was so friendly.

I don’t know if it happens to you, but strangers, not necessarily shop owners, always seem to want to stop and talk to me. It might be since I always have a smile on my face completely enjoying the experience or I remind them of someone they know.

She just started a conversation about this small kitten they had in the store. It liked to lie in the windows. She pointed towards two towels that she had placed in the windows for the kitten to lie on and explained how she had to rearrange the display to make room for the kitten. I love cats. We don’t have one, but I love them just the same. Of course, I had to go in and see the kitten. I had planned to only view the store from the outside because I cannot resist books. If I enter a bookstore I leave with a bag, it’s a given.

The kitten of course was adorable. A tortoiseshell several months old with deformed front paws which didn’t interfere with her ability to walk. She just had extra toes; the lady said she had double paws. I wanted to take a photo of her, but as kittens do she only showed me her back side and not her cute face and refused to stand still. The kitten had been found on Main Street and rescued from possible death and now had a wonderful, friendly new home.

The shop owner showed me where the books were located and I ventured to check them out. She immediately pointed to a section that always has my interest. It was on Michigan. My eyes went directly to a book on Wildflowers. This summer I have been driving the back roads every now and then to take pictures of the wildflowers that grow along the edge. As the summer has progressed so has the variety of wildflowers, each one blooming at a different time. I used to think they were weeds. In fact that’s what I called them. But technically they are wildflowers. She had a book on Michigan Wildflowers. Now I could put a name to my pictures. I tried doing so from the internet but wasn’t always successful. So I took that one, plus two more on nature within our state.

I checked out the games, children’s books and toys. After selected all of my items I checked out. Then I recalled BH had mentioned recently that he wished he still had his old Rubik’s cube from when he was younger so I asked if they had one. Of course, they had only one left so I purchased that for him.

As I left the store promising to email them a picture of the kitten if it turned out, I had to laugh. The Rubik’s cube would be my revenge for BH working and leaving me alone. The frustration that simple little toy would bring would be satisfying.

I turned around and made my way back towards Main Street and turned right again. I found a wonderful ally on the other side of an area where I love taking photos. The building on Main Street is very old and at the back was another building just as old. It had electrical pole and wiring that dated probably from at least the 1930's. I took some pictures hoping one would look okay. But this building is painted a color that isn’t very attractive. 

I made my way out of the ally and turned right again and walked a short way to take a picture of the Jiffy Mix plant, aka Chelsea Milling Company, which is a family-owned business who has been milling flour for over one hundred years. It is a large white structure with multiple buildings.

Then I turned around and made my way back up the street, turned right again and crossed at the first corner and walked down that street. 

Of course, there were more wonderful shops to visit. Bumble's Dry Goods where I purchased some items for the kitchen. A cute ceramic container for holding a kitchen sponge and a matching ceramic piece for separating eggs, both of which will undoubtedly be stored on shelves in the kitchen that hold my recipes books and other kitchen related collectibles. The Potting Shed which had an outdoor section selling plants and inside where there were unique items including a wall of various clocks.

Apparently on Saturday everyone comes into town to shop because of that it was extremely difficult getting around each of the last two stores to examine what they offered. Thankfully I had forgotten to visit the bathroom and needed to leave promptly promising myself to come back during the week and continue my adventure. I don't care for shopping in stores where it's impossible to move and look around.

It was a wonderful day. BH loved his toy. The watermelon wasn’t very good since it wasn’t allowed to ripen fully on the vine but maybe the next one will be better. At least it wasn't any worse than one I would have purchased from the supermarket.

So now I’ve visited two Farmers Markets and two cities. They were both wonderful adventures that I would enjoy repeating.

I never found the Purple Rose Theatre Company but later discovered I had parked right in front of it when visiting the Farmers Market. I will return and take a picture. Hopefully when I do, Jeff Daniels will be there so I can meet him.