August

This month began with another trip for me to Kansas City where I met these cute new additions to the Fisher family.  By the time this blog is published, they will probably have doubled in size.

Jasper and Patch, American bulldogs

Pierce and Reece and I rode bicycles along the Trolley Trail and made a stop at Betty Raes for ice cream.

My choice: Pretzel of the Apes!

I so enjoyed watching the two of them play together!  As siblings, they are amazingly kind to each other.

A hose and a bucket kept them entertained for over an hour.

They also enjoy practicing their dance moves.

I'm very impressed with the boys' ability to help Olivia in the kitchen!

Pierce shows his expert skill at using a sharp knife to chop vegetables.

Brother Reese fries up some chicken.

One afternoon I took the boys to see the movie "Emoji," and then we made our own emojis.

My birthday was a two-day celebration beginning with a dozen red roses from Rusty.

We ate dinner at the Blue Orchid.  This restaurant's signature drink is one of my favorites: vodka, pink grapefruit juice, chili pepper and lemon grass.

It was an extra special dinner because we shared it with Peggy and Lorvey Stark.

After dinner we went to the Tower Square in downtown Lincoln and listened to the Ed Love Trio play jazz.  What a lovely evening!

The next evening, my real birthday, we joined the Just Sayin' Bike Club and Ed Zimmer, local historian, at the Wyuka Cemetery.  (Rusty made jokes about going to a cemetery on my birthday.)

Ed pointed out grave sites of famous Lincolnites, remarkable crypts and headstones, and also a special section for veterans of the Civil War.  It was most interesting!

After the cemetery tour, my friends sang Happy Birthday to me while we enjoyed ice cream from the UNL Dairy Store.

We attended a Salt Dogs ballgame along with the First Plymouth choir members.  Tom Trenney, our organist, threw out the first pitch.

Drew Duncan, professional singer and tenor for the choir, thrilled the crowd with "The National Anthem."

A local club, The Cottonwood, has live jazz on Monday nights.  We attended Big Band music there with Glen and Jane Witte.  It was thrilling!

Glen, Jane, me, Rusty

Glen, an avid aviator, invited Rusty to fly with him on an upcoming trip.  Rusty has always had an interest in flying and was happy to go.

I FINALLY got my tiled backsplash in the kitchen.  I love it.  So easy to keep clean!

This is the third year for my zinnia patch, always from harvested seeds from the previous year.

They draw all different kinds of butterflies, depending on the week.  Sometimes there have been as many as 50 of these little orange guys at one time.  

A goldfinch also seems attracted to the zinnias and visits several times a day.  I think he's eating the seeds.  I hope he saves some so I can replant next year.


The Just Sayin' Bike Team organized a one-way ride from Lincoln to Nebraska City.  Much of the ride was on the old HWY 2, which is quite hilly.  We had a late breakfast at The Lied Center.

The boys and me.
Don, Steve, Rusty, me, Clayton, David, Scot, Ray, Pete, Jeff

Lots of days I ride loops near our home.  Can you smell the fresh air in this picture?