A Year of Gratitude, Day 123

Ariya and her dad went to the zoo. I can only guess how much she misses her daddy everyday. I know he misses her.

A Year of Gratitude, Day 122

The filtration system of our backyard pond failed at some point last winter and the pond had become quite alga-filled. Jim spent the morning catching koi, transferring them to a holding pool, and draining and cleaning the pond -- discovered the shop vac worked well to remove all the leaves and muck from the bottom and sides of the pond. Yay! He then set up a new, larger pump and filter and refilled the pond with water. The fish were a little skittish in their clean home but were loving the waterfall.

A Year of Gratitude, Day 121

I spent the morning working on a sundress for Daphne and managed to complete the bodice. The skirt of this dress will have two gathered layers. The top skirt takes 22 pieces of fabric, all requiring topstitching. I dread the gathering.

A Year of Gratitude, Day 120

Gardening and yard work are not among my favorite activities, so I was happy to have Marijke's assistance today in planting. Luckily I had just purchased some small gardening gloves, because Marijke did not like the feel of the damp soil on her hands. We planted coleus, impatiens and torenia. With luck, most of them will live.

A Year of Gratitude, Day 119

One of Marijke's transition goals is meal preparation. Today she made M&M cookies. She doesn't have good hand strength so using the cookie scoop was difficult, but she was persistent. I try to address at least one goal every afternoon.