FOR TODAY (August 10, 2009)...

Outside my window... Gray skies and clouds, rain gently wending its way down

I am thinking... of how majestic this day is!

I am thankful for... a day to myself to do whatever I want

From the learning rooms... always learning something!

From the kitchen... Hmmmm. . . ribeye steaks, fresh corn on the cob, fresh tomatoes from our own vines, sauteed summer squash - doesn't get much better. I will also be making some cookies and canning some Spicy Plum Sauce.

I am wearing... my leopard print PJs - how lazy am I?

I am creating... a haven of peace and contentment in the midst of a chaotic world

I am going... to take a shower and run to the grocery store in a few minutes

I am reading... Psalms - makes my heart sing; A Sudden and Fearful Death by Anne Perry

I am hoping... that this day will last a good long while

I am hearing... the occasional rumble of thunder - I love the sound of thunder, don't you?

Around the house... just a little, scrub the tub and a teensy bit of laundry, maybe mop the kitchen floor I do need to clean out the trunk of the car, it has gotten rather jumbled

One of my favorite things... is the sky this morning - we have gray, glowering thunderclouds floating over - but over yonder a ways there is a patch of blue sky

A few plans for the rest of the week: Hmmm . . . . working, of course. If I can get enough tomatoes, canning some pepper and onion relish, then Book Sale at work Wednesday and Thursday, then the weekend cleaning out the garage

I hope that someone still reads this, but if not, I will keep on anyway. I have been absent for a good long while, devoting my time instead to my family and to experiencing the joys of summer - melon gobbling, corn feasting, air conditioner loving. We have had a beautiful summer here in Missouri, which is quite rare. Then too, I just have not felt a huge urgency to blog. I am ready now to have this month over, as I will quite likely be working from home again then, at least most of the time, I may still have to work at the office one or two days a week. And now that I have that to look forward to, I feel like blogging again. So, sorry if I have been gone long, I have missed hearing from everyone.

Much love - Raquel