I have recently renewed my passport. Today, I received my old passport in the mail. It has my new photo stapled at the top which made me take a moment to reflect. Eleven years older, many pounds heavier, a number of hair shades darker, and tens of thousands times happier... it's been a good decade.

Triglycerides should be <150. Not.

We headed out for a walk this evening and nearly walked right over these pigeons in the back yard. The 3 of them sat still as statues while William and I snapped photos.

In mid-September, I'll have an opportunity to interview Newbery Award winning author Jean Craighead George. I don't know how I managed to get through school without reading Julie of the Wolves or My Side of the Mountain. Today I began to remedy that. A lazy Saturday camping has been spent reading My Side of the Mountain. I highly recommend it.

Columbus sailed the ocean blue. This afternoon, we came across replicas of the Niña and Pinta docked in Frankfort on Lake Michigan. They were about to close up for the day, but a smile, a hug, and a tip to the crew got us last minute free entry.
Although replicas, the history lessons about these vessels were outstanding. I really wish our visit had been longer.
They are hiring crew. I have encouraged mysweetwilliam (an over 40 victim of fate...arriving too late) to investigate a month or two aboard. What an amazing opportunity.

I don't have a lot of health complaints for the most part. So, I have not yet established a relationship with a physician in Michigan. Today, I gave in and went to the doctor. Here I am in the examining room, waiting... in nothing but the gown of shame.

I've shared the story of Hampton the traveling bear with a few folks over the years. I hope to someday write a children's book about his adventures. I was reminded of that today by a member of the DEN community... someone I just felt a connection with the first time I saw her. So, for my friend Lea Anne, here's Hampton at Discovery HQ on a Chopper.

That precious smiling child in the foreground is Jarred at 5. I didn't know him then, but wish that I had.
Today he turned 22.

On our last visit to SC, I snapped a picture of this photo hanging in Momma and Daddy's bedroom. Momma has one of Dan hanging beside it. He's a little thing at the time too. She says that every morning she wakes up and says good morning to our pictures.
I'm about a year old in this photo.

If I ever were to hold a "Will work for..." sign, mine would end with the word "cheese".
No cheese makes me happier than hard to acquire cheese like Graskaas. This cheese is made from the first milk of the spring, after the cows graze for the first time on the tenderest of grasses. They are happy and that makes their cheese more tasty. I'm not even kidding.
We discovered Graskaas in San Antonio at that magical wonderland known as Central Market. When we moved to this area, we were certain our Graskaas days were done. We found a cheese vendor at the Flint Farmers Market. He'd never heard of Graskaas, but apparently listened as we went on and on about happy cows and their cheese. Today, we went to the market to see the cheese man and other folks like the egg man and the squash people. Cheese man had Graskaas. Now, we have Graskaas. Happy cows make happy cheese, that makes a happy me.