Packing? Well ... Hasn't Happened YetI

My goal was packing for yesterday. My goal failed abysmally. But I did get all of my current working book boxes labeled and moved upstairs, cleaned some more, did the usual laundry and grocery bit, and dropped off an entire trunk's worth of product to Goodwill. This year's charity deductions will be higher than usual - SCORE!

The White Bear Lake YMCA has a really nice aquatic center. I love my
every-other-week swims here. 

I started out my day by swimming at the WBL Y's pool. It's a lovely pool, much closer to where my Chiropractor's office is, so I can swim there and still get over to my 6:30 am appointment in plenty of time. I'm thinking about swimming both Friday and Saturday this week to wrap things up. I won't have access to a pool while I'm away at my convention next week, so I'm really going to be missing my water time.

This one was a good choice that actually tasted great. The chicken salad
wasn't too sweet, and the berries on the twin berry salad were generous and
perfectly ripe. I was delighted. 

I had an e-coupon for 20% off the total on any meal at Perkins, one of my frequently-visited restaurants. I couldn't resist. I usually stop by there for breakfast, but pushed it off to have more of a brunch instead. They had some summer additions to their menu I found tempting, so I ended up with a really wonderful chicken salad on croissant sandwich along with a twin berry vinaigrette salad featuring fresh strawberries and blueberries. Total NOM!!!!

I loved the interplay of the sun through the maple leaves here. There's
something so wonderful about the beauty of trees. 

Yesterday was a perfect day, and it reminded me of why I love living up here. Just look at how lovely it is looking up to the sky from under one of my maple trees.

I love the burnished leaves you can see
on the right. This tree is always more burgundy
in color than my other maple trees. It spreads
beautifully, turns great colors in the fall, and
the trunk has a fairy house. Perfect! 

Then see how nicely the leaves have filled out on the tree. This one is in my front yard and I love the odd colors of it. We planted it shortly after we moved into the house, so it's almost thirty years old now and quite comfortable.

Have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Have a great Thursday. Today Chickie leaves for her family memorial service for her grandfather. She's looking forward to seeing a lot of relations while they are out in California. I'll be feeding and watering her cat for a few days while she's wining and dining in San Francisco and environs. I suspect she's getting the best of the deal :-)