I'm Still Around...

Just a quick update to say that I'm still around but life has thrown me more curve balls!

I'm trying to deal with things.  I'm trying to work on myself and my stress, anxiety, and depression.  I have taken a step to work on that.  In the last couple of months - DH had a set back from his surgery and battled an infection.  We lost my step-father-in-law.  My mother had 2 surgeries to take care of her skin cancer.  

My sleep issues aren't really getting better which contributes to even more problems.

Having said that...there are some great things happening and things to be grateful for!  They were able to get my mother's skin cancer in ONE LAYER.  She's healing now.

My niece is keeping things interesting and joyful.  I get a kick out of her.  She really IS my world.  I adore her more than words can express.

This group of ladies has been a real comfort in trying times.  My Zontian Sisters!  This is a bunch of us celebrating Zonta International's 100th Birthday.  We received the traveling flag and signed it.

I'm really feeling YOGA calling my name the last several months to a year but I'm having a hell-of-a-time getting back into it.  I'm trying to at least start with 1-minute breathing/meditations.  I'm not sure that has really helped, to be honest.

My pain has returned but I'm convinced it's stress related.

Sorry to be such a Debbie-Downer.

Hopefully, I will be my crazy blogging self again soon!

Oh Deer & Girl Power!

Yet another bump in the road!  This time around - my mini disappearance had to do with health issues for DH and surgery and re-coop and the last couple of days me fighting an awful mutant head cold or sinus issue.  But...I'm back!

Last month, a few of the Zonta Club Members participated in a 5k Run/1k Fun Walk to benefit CASA.  It was their annual Superohero 5K Fundraiser and dressing up was encouraged.  We had special Zonta T-Shirts and our Pres accessorized with Wonder Woman garb.  Super COOL!

Cricket has been stuck to me like glue the last several weeks.  Sometimes I can get the cutest pictures of her while she's on my lap in the evening!

I'm blanking when it comes to where I found these somewhat recently but I knew I had to grab them!  I'm thinking it was either Tops or Wegmans because those are the places I've been the last several weeks.  Maybe Walmart???

Maybe it WAS Walmart because I remember finding THIS at Walmart the last time I went and was pretty shocked to see several items were new there that were also vegan!

I know I grabbed that at Wegman's!  I've had 2 or 3 other NEW Amy's Wraps, too!  LOVING that Amy's is coming out with more new vegan options!

I've still been doing a lot of traveling with my job and I am sure that will keep up.  Another thing I have been doing more of lately is taking video footage for TV news reports.  Last week I grabbed video at a local festival, 2 area football games, a local apartment fire, and more...and they were all featured somehow!

These last two photos were taken from my car window.  YES...I was completely stopped and I normally wouldn't even THINK about grabbing my phone to take a pic in a situation like this BUT I had been sitting there a while because these 3 deer wouldn't move.  They were in the middle of the road and I was lucky enough to see them and could stop BUT once I stopped they didn't move.  Because of the road I was on I knew someone would hit them so after moments of them not moving I laid on the horn and 2 out of the 3 eventually ran in to the woods.  The 3rd slowly followed.  They were all safe...THANK GOD!

OH!  By the way...I slightly changed the look of the blog...what do you think?

Havana Shakedown Wrap & Votes For Women Festivities

It's been another rough couple of days but I don't really want to talk about the negatives.  I'm really trying to focus on the positives but it's getting harder and harder.

A few weeks ago what I tried to do to 'get out of my funk' was to stop at a vegetarian place in Jamestown that I had not been to in a while.  Years ago I blogged about it.  The place is called The Labyrinth.  The wrap that you see here is what I had for lunch while I was in town for work.  They call it the Havana Shakedown.  It has beans, avocado, seasoned rice, sun seeds, carrots, spinach, tomato, onion, agave, lime, and hot sauce in it.  YUM!

Not too long ago I found these at ALDI.  They were pretty tasty.

Now on to some photos from the Votes For Women Festivities in our area.  In case you haven't seen my other VOTES FOR WOMEN posts...we have been doing a lot of celebrating and will continue to celebrate thru 2020...for the 100 years of Women's Right To Vote.

In this photo (above) you will see a replica of an old poster and clipped to the bottom left a photo of my niece from the rally we had back in June.  The other ladies in our local Suffrage Centennial Committee surprised me with her photo the one day!

We were able to get 3 downtown businesses to let us use their windows to promote a few upcoming events.  A few of my friends Jane and Barb did the decorating!

Here are some pics of those windows!  As you can see they are promoting the event we had on September 10th which was a portrayal of Susan B. Anthony.  More on that shortly.

I couldn't believe all of the replicas and memorabilia they were able to gather and decorate with!  So exciting!  We have lots of other events planned, too, so I will be sure to update you all!

When we did the Susan B. Anthony event on the 10th - we had a Rally prior to the show.  We had many of our committee members attend but also several from the community dress up as well!  The lady in the yellow hat is Karen and the one with the glasses in front/middle is yet another Karen.  They are both League of Women Voters Members (among other organizations).  Phyllis is pictured on the left and also in the photo below.

My friend Jane is pictured on the left with the yellow/white/purple poster.  She was one of the ladies who decorated the windows!  Phyllis is next to her...she's a local gem and involved in SO MUCH!  Annette is next to Phyllis.  All 3 of those ladies are League of Women Voters Members (as am I).  Then on the end is Carol.  Carol - along with Phyllis - are Zonta Club Members (as am I).  I adore these ladies!  They are wonderful!

Here is a snapshot of the crowd prior to the one-woman-show.  It was a wonderful evening and the portrayal was great!  The Historical Society received a grant from our local Zonta Club to pay for the actress to come to town.  

We are hoping to have an Alice Paul portrayal within the next year but we don't have the funding yet.

More Travels, Animals, Flora, Photos, Food, and Community!

I've probably posted a photo like this already when I mentioned my recent trip to our Audubon but I can't help but re-post this little guy!  This is Lincoln.  Ever since I met him I have been thinking about him.  He's a resident of the Audubon and was a rescue.  At some point I will be stopping by to make a donation specifically for his care.  I adore this guy!  LOOK!  He's even smiling!

One of the other stops I made while traveling for work not too long ago was one of my favorite places in our county.  This is the road to/from Kinzua Wolf Run Marina, Kinzua Dam, Kinzua Beach, Allegheny National Forest/Rim Rock, Jake's Rocks, etc.

I was thrilled with how this photo turned out considering the car was moving at about 55 mph when I took it.  Below you will see two more photos specifically from the Kinzua Beach location.  I will be revisiting Kinzua Beach this Saturday as I volunteer for a Bicycle Event and helping with registration.  My father will be helping with set-up today and the beer tent on Saturday.

But the last time I stopped at Kinzua Beach I was completely alone.  Well, I was the only human...let's put it that way!  It was a nice brain break.  Here is a photo I took while walking down the hill from the parking area.  There is a building behind me, several large parking lots, restrooms, and a few paths.  The grass you see is a small part of a LARGE grassy area where you can walk, sit, have a picnic, etc.  The bridge you see in the front is the bridge that goes over part of Kinzua and is near Kinzua Wolf Run Marina which is somewhat across the street on the other side of the bridge and Kinzua Dam itself - is not too far away.

That day I walked down to the water.  There were several ducks there.  They were not afraid of me in the least.  They actually came up to me and nibbled on my shoes and jeans.  I talked to them for several minutes.  I posted a video a while back on IG.  I was so surprised they came up to me like that but it totally made my day and I will not forget it!

Another brain break I took this past summer was to Bett's Park.  More specifically the Pollination Garden that Penn State Master Gardeners attends to each year.  These next few photos where some of the beautiful flowers I saw while there this year.

I have blogged about the Pollinator Garden before and I think I even did a walk thru video on YouTube a few years back.

Since I am backlogging these photos I must say most of the flowers and plants have since 'expired' for the season because fall is approaching.

And speaking of fall...my indoor/office plants are starting to realize what time of year it is, too!  I've already lost 3 plants and it's bumming me out.  This plant, however, is one of my newer ones.  It's called and Aluminum Plant.

This one is an Elephant Bush Plant.  I fell in LOVE with it but I think it's on its way out, too!  I hope I can save it.

My mother found a few old photos and here is one of them.  It's of my sister and I when we were in our church Kids Choir.  We were 'ewes'.  Oh...to be a kid in the 80s!

Here is a photo from the most recent Bra Shipping Party that our Zonta Club Members did.  If you remember seeing photos like these in the past you might recall we send the bras over to Free The Girls and they go to survivors of trafficking to help them start their own retail business.  Right now there are 3 countries that receive these shipments...Mozambique, Costa Rica, and El Salvador.  In about 9 months we have shipped 2,001 bras to Free The Girls from our rural area.

And now it's time for some vegan food!  Here is one of the items I found from Trader Joe's.  It was yummy and had a nice kick to it.

Right near where I work there is a NY Style Pizza and Deli place and the pizza dough just happens to be vegan.  They will put basically anything you want on a pizza.  I have enjoyed a few of them in the past but recently I decided to re-visit their 'build your own salad' and this is what they made for me.  It was darn hefty and VERY MUCH appreciated!

Greens, Broccoli, Tomato, Avocado, Cucumbers, Onion, Peppers, topped with a nice amount of Hummus, and French-Type Dressing.

Again, one of my side trips while traveling to work - and actually FOR work - I stopped in Kennedy, NY, at the Aber's Acres Produce Stand.  I couldn't pass up these AMAZING Organic Raspberries!

And...Cherry Tomatoes!  A few years ago they got their ORGANIC certification.  It was a 3 year process.  Their stuff is AMAZING, too!

Community Involvement & Family Time

Taking a look back at June 24th...our community did something special to celebrating the ratification of 100 years of Women's Right To Vote.

Our Courthouse bells rang 19 times at noon and many of us gathered for a rally and fellowship.  There were several speakers and those who dressed up and held signs.

My mom and dad were watching Trinity that day and the stopped over for the first part of it.  Trinity was a HIT.

She even made the front page of our paper the next day!  This is her and me holding signs.  It was a lovely day.  I'm part of the Suffrage Centennial Committee and there are LOTS of things planned thru the end of 2020 so you will be hearing a bunch more about these events soon!

Here is a photo of the Courthouse lawn with those who participated.  The brick building in the back is our local historical society.

Another thing that I haven't really blogged too much about is that when our company was sold DH and I spent two days in Erie to not only help with their 70th Anniversary for WICU but to get to know some of the people at the main office and such.  Here are a bunch of us passing out fans, coloring books, and sports bottles.

Another thing I was able to do in the middle of July was with our Zonta Membership.  Each year we do a "Summer Surprise" and we don't know where we are going or what we are doing until we leave for the evening.  This year - we didn't travel too far.  We had a private tour and history of our local, historical Struthers Library Theatre.  Many of us have been in the theatre fairly often but it was nice to have a behind the scenes look and really take our time.

And I mean...REALLY behind the scenes...this was backstage!  I just LOVE all of the old signs we saw.

Here is some of our membership enjoying the tour!

Earlier in the summer...my mom, dad, sister, Trinity and I went to Waldameer which is a theme park/adventure park in Erie.  It's been YEARS since I have been there but it was Trinity's first time so it was SO FUN!!!

On the way home that day she was super weird and starting sucking her toes like a thumb and I couldn't stop laughing.  Even funnier was the oh-so-serious look on her face while she was doing it!

Total Evolution really kept me fed this summer with all the running around!  WOWZA!  Here is their Avocado Toast - vegan style, of course!

And here is one of the build-your-own chia bowls.  I chose Peanut Butter, Granola, Raspberries, and it was great!  They use Soy Milk as a base.

Vegan Finds, Vegan RVing, Nature, Volunteering, & Playing Catch-Up

First I want to say THANK YOU for those who commented on my last post and sent words of encouragement.  I truly appreciate you all!  This post will be more on the positive side.  I have LOTS of vegan finds to share with you over the last several months.  As well as some of the volunteering, family, nature, and camping posts to share!  So...here...we...go!  The photo above is one of the new vegan butters I found.  Since I found this months ago it could very well be old news but I think it's still worth posting!  Country Crock jumped on the plant-based train and came out with this new 'butter' made from Avocado Oil.  I have to say I do like it.  I found this one at my local Tops Market.

These next TWO photos are vegan yogurts I found.  The flavors were good but they were a tad on the thin side.  I believe I found these at Wegman's.

Of course, I LOVE Lemon Meringue flavored things so I had to try this one at the very least!

Here are 4 of the dressings and such that got me thru this season of camping!  I have been trying to follow more and more vegan RV'ers and vegan campers to connect with, too!  I know I have posted the Daiya dressings before but I don't think I have featured the Field Organic Goddess Dressing or the Annie's Lemon & Chive but I enjoyed all 4 of them!

Here is a shot of my cabinet for the camping season.  Of course there were other trips to the grocery store in between but I thought it was worth a corner in this blog post.  I tried the new Daiya Bac'n & Cheddar and I wasn't that much of a fan but at least I can say I tried it once.  It was too salty for me.  I'm just now getting to the point were I am eating the soups because it cooled down for a few days.  Rice is always a good choice.  Trinity and I shared the organic applesauce.  There are some Nature's Bakery items in there and a few Coconut Silk Milk's in there, too!

On to the snacks!  My father went to a snack and candy show and brought back a bunch of munchies for me.  Over the last several years he has noticed more and more vegan options!  YAY!  This was one of the new flavors back in April from Vegan Rob's!  I have to say I LOVED them!  A nice kick!  Addicting!  YUM!

And speaking of addicting...THESE GUYS!  OMG!  I adore them!  The only negative?  I can't find them around here!  Maybe that is for the best...I would eat them TOO MUCH then if they were readily available.

While camping this year we found MANY birds nests!  And some of them were in the strangest places!  This one was behind our camping in between the fence and the water hook-up.  It was built AFTER we hooked-up.  I checked on it each time I went to the camper and the eggs were so small!  Too small to be Robins.  After researching it for a bit, I found out these were Chipping Sparrows.  3 out of the 4 eggs hatched and I was actually able to see them fly out of the next a couple of weeks after they hatched, too!

Another thing that happened in the spring was another Refugee Hike.  Once again I helped with the food - as did my mother!  These kids were AMAZING!  The youngest was about 14 and the oldest of was 24.  There were also a few chaperones, too.  Unfortunately, I missed the canoe trip they did in early August because of the volunteering I do at our fair.

Also in the spring, I was inducted as a new Zonta Board Member.  I'm pictured here in the black shirt with red scarf.  I really LOVE being a part of the Zonta Organization.  My only regret was that I didn't join sooner.  In addition to being on the board now I am the Service Committee Chair for a 2nd year in a row.  This year I am also on the Advocacy and Media/Communications Committee (as I was last year) and new-for-me this year is becoming a member of the Fellowship Committee, too!  I'm VERY excited about the new year!

You may remember that last year our club started collecting bras for Free The Girls.  We have continued to do so and have collected 2,001 bras so far.  I doubt we will be slowing down anytime soon!

These next TWO photos are from some of our Suffrage Centennial Committee Meetings.  We have been discussing and planning various events with several other organizations around our county to celebrate 100 years of Women's Right to Vote.

Many of the ladies have been purchasing and making banners, sashes, flags, and more!  It's really neat to see!  Tonight we actually have an actress coming to town to portray Susan B. Anthony.  I will try and take pictures and blog about it soon!

And, finally, here are some photos from Warren County Serves that took place in Mid-May.  It's a group that formed a year or so ago and they lost many of their members even before the first annual event.  I've always wanted to do something like this to encourage and promote volunteerism in our area so I ended up joining the group!  We had projects that included beautification at our local Humane Society as well as tagging and sorting at the thrift shop they have on the other side of town.  There were several parks that also did beautification projects during that weekend.  There is a community house for those with mental and physical disabilities that a group helped scrape, paint, and stain steps, too!  We also have an organization in our county that houses and pairs service dogs and emotional support dogs to those who have PTSD and other emotional difficulties and that group helped clean-up their parking lot, outside of the building, and such.  Another place that had volunteers was our fairgrounds.  We did a LOT of painting, and I mean a LOT.  And others helped with cleaning some of the buildings and landscaping.  There were other projects, too, these are just a few.

I'm already pondering my post for tomorrow.  I still have a lot of catching up to do.  Let me know if you think these posts are too long or if you prefer them.