Wonder Years with Chris and Wendy

Last weekend, I attended a local festival as a volunteer, but I also got to wander around and spend a little money. When I got to the festival, I realized I had only $30 in my wallet and had forgotten to bring any credit cards, so would have to spend wisely. I put the money in my pocket so it would be easily accessible and went about my day.   I bought a few food items for a total of $15 and still had $15 to blow but didn’t see anything else I needed or wanted and was relieved that I was able to get by with so little money. After enjoying a great concert from a local group called Chatham Rabbits (if you haven’t seen them, check out their  website ), we ended our day and packed up, heading home.  When I got home, I realized that the extra $15 had fallen out of my pocket. My first thought was, I hope someone who really could use that money found it. There have been many years when an extra $15 would have made a huge difference in my budget. Chris and I lived much of our chi...

 We were busy in February with several small trips for Wendy and lots of work at home, church and the HOA for Chris. March seems to have flown by, and here we are on the first day of April, 2026 with a rundown on some of our activities for the end of winter.  We were happy to see our grandson, Jackson for the first time in several years as he made the trip with his Dad out to NC in January and again in March.                                    Wendy and Lily got a chance to get away at the beginning of February. We were in NY City on the coldest day in several decades. But, we managed to to have a great time. We saw the musical of The Outsiders, one of Lily's favorite books from high school. We also spent a great evening with cousins, John and Britt, and John's partner, Alex. Good food and wonderful company.  .   Continuing on in NY, Wendy spent a week with her Mom in Wyomi...

My reading was up slightly from 2024, I read over 190 books this year, a few were books for middle grade children, so that padded the number but most were books for adults. I have picked my top ten fiction and nonfiction to share with you and hope that you will share what you have been reading with me.  FICTION Big Novels         The Wind Knows My Name   by Isabel Allende In telling this intertwining story of immigrants, Allende begins with a young Jewish boy who is sent alone to England when his family is being destroyed by the Nazis. Samuel is alone but for his violin. His life continues with music playing a large part in his happiness. Many years later, he is again alone but this time he is wealthy, divorced, and  living in California. His life intersects with Anita Diaz, a child refugee from Ed Salvador, separated from her mother. Allende’s prose is poetic and mesmerizing. She gives a voice to the thousands of immigrants wandering our world today. ...

      Dear Family & Friends,                                                           December 2025        We live in very sobering times. Two thousand years ago a very powerful nation dominated a good part of the territory around the Mediterranean Sea and beyond. They dictated the rules. They did not tolerate dissent. Power, strength and wealth were the most desired qualities for the empire and its leadership. It's a lot like today in our conflicted country. Back then, as impossible as it is to believe, a devout woman gave birth to a little boy who would end up giving us a chance to change everything! You might say that we are still praying for th...

 Wendy and Peace Corps friend, Marcy, went to Italy for two weeks in October. This was a fantastic trip with one week spent in Ravello, high above the Amalfi Coast and a second week spent with Walking Women tours in Sicily. We loved both weeks and met some wonderful women along the way. Here are some highlights.  *** While in Ravello, we enjoyed simple Italian food, hiking up and down the mountain, and making friends at our local market.  We also visited a lemon farm in Amalfi, which was beautiful and fun to experience, especially the Limoncello! The second half of our trip took place in and around Scilcli, Sicily. Here are some typical scenes from Amalfi to Sicily. We took a ferry and the a train; to get from the mainland of Italy to the Island of Sicily, the train went on another ferry. Our final train was canceled and we had to take a taxi to the tune of 347 pounds, but the week in Sicily was definitely worth it! While Wendy was in Italy, Chris was celebrating with his...