The Old Gray Susie Ain't What She Used To Be...

Hmm...let's see...someone has a birthday today. Who is it...hmmm...

Oh yeah, old Susie Q is turning another year older.

Let's see here...add 5, carry the 2...yup. Here it is. The old girl is 54 today!

I just can't help but laugh...here I am remembering HER birthday but

did SHE remember mine? July 9th went by without one word about it on her blog. Not. One. Word!

But heck. I have a big heart. I'm a big guy! So let's just forget about my

self proclaimed "world's greatest fan"'s indiscretion and move on...

I will now read a poem I  wrote for the old girl.

Ahem...

Today dear old Susie turns 54

The years pile up, she's turned into a bore.

Her hair's gettin' grayer, the age lines are deep

The hot flashes make her lose lots of sleep.

Her joints are a creakin', her back's pretty bad

She still thinks she's young, now ain't that real sad?

 Not that I am holding a grudge or anything...

Sue, Sue & Kari's Big Adventure

I am a little late to post this day of fun but here goes! Last Thusday I had such a sweet time!

Our dear  friend Kari of Just Livin' Large was here for a few days. I wanted her to meet Sue S from Sullivan and Murphy and Sue to meet Kari! I picked up Sue, picked up Kari and away we went! Yes folks, they actually trusted me to drive! Silly girls...

We began our day at Fulton Farm near Tipp City, Ohio.

Sue S. showing off the delicious angel food cakes you can find here!

This was my purchase that morning at Fulton Farm!

Tippacanoe and Tyler Too is a wonderful store in an old hotel. Room after room

 filled with all manner of delights!

I loved the staircase in the old hotel.

Kari doing a little window shopping!

The very lovely Kari and Sue pointing out a *frightfully* pretty bride in the front window

of Feather Your Nest, just the greatest shop! We all found fun bits and bobs we could NOT live without!

They have the most wonderful vignettes!

Boo!

Across the street we found Cognac...a very pretty shop filled with lots of treasures...

If you have longed to find a bust of Gandhi that you can put a plant into (and haven't we all?), well then, this

shop has what you are looking for!

We headed back into Dayton and showed Kari a little of the downtown area. Then we decided to pop into the 2nd Street Market. It is quiet on Thursday so we were able to quickly see it all and pick up some freshly baked bread and other goodies.

Then we hopped on down to Waynesville and had

lunch at The Hammel House Inn, perused a few shops and saw

 such great old houses like this...

And here you have the chubby thorn between 2 gorgeous roses! Sue S., me, Susie Q and Kari! Aren't they  beautiful ladies? Two wonderful, fun and very dear ladies too!

I had such a sweet time with both of them and know that the fabulous Sue S. and I will have many more adventures...she lives near by after all! And I bet I speak for Sue too when I say we hope Kari will get back to the midwest soon. VERY soon! I miss her akready! We love ya and loved being with you!

And do NOT let either of these girls fool you...they are both knockout pretty, smart and fun!

I hope that all of you are having a week filled with smiles!


And don't forget to sign up for my 3rd Year Blogging Anniversary giveaway!
Just leave a comment on THIS post!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

A Big Day. Nope. A BIG DAY!

Oh yes...it is a BIG day here at Rabbit Run Cottage! A BIG day...no.

Wait. Strike that. It is a HUGE day! Gigantic. Monumental. Earth shattering!

Okay, so it isn't exactly *earth shattering* but hey...

It's our 31st anniversary. I know what you're thinking! How could anyone as young as I am possibly be married for 31 years! Ahem...I married Bill on this day in 1978. And heck.

I still love the guy. He is pretty cute, puts up with me and all my faults, is a super dad and

*sometimes* picks up his dirty socks. I'd say he is a keeper.

For a little of our story, please look back at a post I did last year: The Journey Continues

It is also the first day of a new school year! I am one of those loopy parents who *hates* the day the kids return to school. I will miss having Grace as my daily side kick. I felt the same way when Daniel started back each year...*sigh* She is beginning the 5th grade and even though I am sure Mom embarrassed her, she agreed to a quick photo at the bus stop. And yes. She *IS* cute isn't she? And just when you thought that this day couldn't get any bigger...wow. I, Susie Q, the mistress of Rabbit Run Cottage is going to see The Jonas Brothers tonight! I know you are all excited so try to control yourselves. No pushing now...calm...calm...there. Better? This will be Grace's first real concert and she is over the moon about it! Thanks to my talented friend Gary and his beautiful daughters (who secured tickets for us when they were almost impossible to get), Grace, her BFF, her BFF's Mom and I will be in Columbus, Ohio tonight, rockin' with the boys. I KNOW it is their first day of school but they are young. They will be alright tomorrow and ready for school bright and early...me? Who knows! But we will have fun and I will be sure to tell you all about it. Bill and I will have dinner together later this week to celebrate our day...or maybe, just like one of my dear friends did when she and her husband celebrated a recent anniversary, we will go out for ice cream! Even better! Now go on out there and have a great day...a BIG day. A Gigantic day of monumental and earth shattering proportions! Just enjoy it...and remember to smile. You look gorgeous when you do!

Love and Hugs, Susie Q

Fun Foto Friday

My brother Jim and little ole me, circa 1967. His first Christmas. I had just turned 11. I was a pretty proud big sis. Still am.

My cousin Miriam (Yes, she was named for my Mother!) and me. Look how very lady like I am sitting! What happened to that Susie Q? Oh well...this was taken in Tennessee, circa 1962. My father Frank, with my cousin Miriam, in Tennessee, circa 1959. Miriam is 2 years older than me and was born the year that Mom and dad were married. Thank you to her for these pictures! I had not seen them in a long time and oh how they made me smile and cry all at the same time! I have been an awful correspondent and will be working on that this coming week! It has been such a busy week and this weekend is our 35th High School reunion. Just how in the world did that happen? Gosh the years go by quickly... I hope your weekend is a sweet one...love and hugs to you all. Susie Q

Night Lights

Gosh! I am so behind again! Okay, as USUAL right? *sigh* So true but I will try to play a little catch up today! Last Friday I took Mom to a performance of the Dayton Philharmonic at the Schuster Center downtown. It was an evening of Beethoven and featured a remarkable guest violinist, Stephanie Chase.

It was also Light Up Dayton night. All the buildings downtown were asked to leave their lights on until 11pm to give area photographers the unique opportunity to create images of Dayton's skyline. There is a contest for the best new skyline photo as well as awards going to those who have the most unique images of the downtown buildings and attractions.

We didn't get out of the performance until almost 10:30pm and it was such a rainy night.

Still, I drove around a bit and took some photos that I thought would make interesting images.

Just for fun, here they are!~

I waited until most of the audience had left the top portion of the auditorium so I could get this shot...

I had a lot of fun taking and processing these pictures. The Dayton Daily website has so many submitted images that are just beautiful. There were some truly gifted photographers out in force that evening, refusing to let the rain keep them from getting that one perfect shot! I will be interested in seeing which of them enters the contest and wins!

Kip has a little blog post he is working on for you. We all attended Ritter's May Dog Night and took our new, and oh so wonderful, new buddy, Sue

from Sullivan and Murphy

so she could experience her first official Dog Night!

There was a bevy of adorable doggies of every shape and size! Look for Kip's post later this week! We are SO glad you came along with is Sue!

I am hopping around bloggy world to visit each of you as I can! It has been such a busy few weeks and this old girl's head gets fuzzy from all the activity! I don't always leave a comment but I DO pop in on you all...and, as always, I am inspired, delighted, enriched and tickled by your stories, photos, ideas and activities!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

Rue, Sue...Sue, Rue...Sue, Sue...Sue, Sue...

See ladies? From the chin up only!

..and why? These two girls are just plain purty.

Really purty. Seriously. I'm just sayin'...

...Rue, Sue...Sue, Sue...Rue, Sue...Sue, Rue...and that is how they all met. Okay, So we all actually met online in this crazy, wonderful world of blog. But yesterday we got to meet, yes meet. In person, in full living color. I know many of you know Rue...and if you don't, why the heck not? Hmm...but Sue is newer to blogging so DO go over and introduce yourself. Just click on a name here in the first paragraph and you will hop on over to see these two remarkable ladies.

I knew they would be fun, gosh. I KNEW it. Was I mistaken? Not on your life baby.

We hugged, we laughed, we talked, OH how we talked...we ate, we smiled, we just plain had a good time. And I will tell you somethin' that neither one of them will tell you...lean in...ssh...come closer...closer still...they are both G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S. Uh huh. *I* felt like fatty mcfat fat schlumpo next to them but yet they allowed me to hang with 'em anyhoo. See how nice they are? Told ya!

I picked up Sue (Who we discovered lives about a whole 4 miles from moi) and we headed North to Urbana, Ohio. We had spoken to one another by telephone so meeting her was just like meeting someone I had known for awhile. We laughed all the way...especially when my retired Naval navigator husband's directions proved to be WRONG! ACK. Thank goodness for cell phones and Sue's GPS. So we get there and there was Rue...and then it was Sue, Sue and Rue. Or was it Rue, Sue and Sue? Or, Sue, Rue and Sue?

We began our adventure at Rothschild's Farm and Market. Oh the goodies, oh the free samples..oh the tasting... Click on the Farm name and you will be whisked to their online site. Mail order ladies! How about this wine? Cincinnati Reds players past and present...Homer Bailey, Barry Larkin and Ken Griffey Jr. immortalized as wines...Reds and Chardonnays...what's your pleasure? The tasting and sampling didn't fill us up so we headed over to Robert's On Miami for lunch. Click on the name and you can visit this sweet place for yourself! Greeting us at the entry...dear Luella the hostess with the mostess. I thought I looked a lot like old Lu here with a couple dozen more pounds of course. Lu agreed... How about this ceiling? I want one like it in my house! Love it! Wouldn't you guess that the group chubbo would choose THIS for lunch? Hey. I had had no breakfast and was famished. Really. I was...sheesh. And it was good. Uh huh. And the restaurant staff probably wondered about that table of ladies who kept taking pictures of the food...no worries people. I swear we aren't from the Department of Health. Really! Just crazy bloggers... The girls in front of the restaurant...chins up only! But I am tellin' ya'll. These ladies are P.U.R.T.Y. Oh yeah...silly, purty and fun. A peek at a couple of shops on the town square...

Sweet Annie's

Another cute restaurant...

A cute arrangement inside the Country Gentleman...

The pretty town square...and the blasted traffic circle...

It was a fun day, a sweet day, a great day. And we got there and back even WITH Bill's bad directions. (Did I mention enough times that he was a NAVIGATOR?) Thank you to two special ladies. Let's do it again real soon okay?

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q