Summer Treats {Ranier Cherries}

The stone fruits are here! The stone fruits are here!

Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, bing cherries, Ranier cherries...sweet, juicy tastes of summer.

With shopping list in hand, I went to Kroger. Even though there was no produce on the list, I passed through the produce department anyway. And my eyes fell on the bags of Ranier cherries, those sweet, tasty orbs, yellow and blushing with red, so sweet that they can be dessert all on their own.

I grabbed a bag.

Going through the self-checkout line, I punched in the Ranier cherry code, and 1 1/2 pounds of cherries rang in at $9.40. What? Did I type in the wrong code? Nope. These sweet gems of summer are $5.99/pound. This price is the "pits!"

Off to a good start!

Big Dog in a Small Car {Sugarcreek Metro Park}

Monday was a very sad day for my family. We said goodbye to our 15-year old chocolate Lab. He was our first family dog. He was my first ever dog.

On Tuesday, my other dog and I needed to get out of the house and out of the neighborhood. Dayton has beautiful metro parks and we hit the trail at one of our favorites, Sugarcreek. Sugarcreek MetroPark is home to the Three (now two) Sisters, which are 550-year old oak trees, a tall grass prairie, woodlands, some steep trails, and of course Sugar Creek.

Hunter gets so excited when he sees me put on my tennis shoes and then go to the closet for his leash. He knows what's coming up. Right now my son has my Tahoe, so that leaves me with my small car and a 90-pound dog. It's quite a picture!

What I didn't think about was that it rained a lot on Monday. 

Rain + dirt trails = lots of mud. 

At first I tried to navigate around the muddy areas on the trail but that turned into quite a joke and it was stressful. We came here to get rid of stress. Shoes can be washed, dogs can be washed, cars can be washed. Our hearts needed some healing from the pain of losing our long-time dear pet. We walked through the mud, we splashed in the creek, we had a marvelous time!

A wish and a prayer for our dear old dog ~

Prairie flowers

Steep enough for you?

Sugar Creek

Hunter and the woodlands

Muddy, muddy, muddy!

Hold On {Graduation}

Graduation season for the Class of 2013. 

My niece graduated from high school three years ago. Her principal gave an inspirational speech and he included these words of advice in his address to the graduates. These words touched my heart and I like to pass them onto graduates, whether their next step is college or into the world. 

Hold On 

Hold onto faith. It is the source of believing that all things are possible. It is the fiber and strength of a confident soul. 

Hold onto hope. It banishes doubt and enables attitudes to be positive and cheerful. 

Hold onto trust. It is at the core of fruitful relationships that are secure and content. 

Hold into love. It is life’s greatest gift of all, for it shares, cares, and gives meaning to life. 

Hold onto family and friends. They are the most important people in your life. They make the world a better place. They are your roots and the beginnings that you grew from. They are the vines that have grown through time to nourish you, help you on your way, and always remain close by. 

Hold onto all that you are and all that you've learned, for these things are what makes you unique. Don't ignore what you feel and what you believe is right and important. Your heart has a way of speaking louder than your mind. 

Hold onto your dreams. Achieve them diligently and honestly. Never take the easy way out or surrender to deceit. Remember others on your way and take time to care for their needs. 

Enjoy the beauty around you. Have the courage to see things differently, yet clearly. Make the world a better place, one day at a time. 

Don't let go of the important things that give meaning to your life.

~ Author Unknown