One way to 36 happy years

          

Love

Compassion                        Holiness  

    Kindness                      Forgiveness 

      Humility          Patience 

    Gentleness 

                                       

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 

 ~ Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV)


  

Peace                              Togetherness 

             

                      Harmony       Gratitude

                         

God-centered 

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

~Colossians 3:15-17 (The Message)

Lucky for Jeff

After I grumbled a bit about the farm being mostly work and little play, Dan made Jeff promise to have some "Marianne-time".  He was probably dreading the possibilities, until Aunt Rita and Uncle Palmer arrived on our doorstep late Friday night for a farm weekend and just like that, Jeff is off the hook. 

Shortly after lunch and a tour of the farm, Aunt Rita and I hightailed it to downtown Mt. Carroll, where we whiled away the afternoon on Market Street. We take our time sorting through the myraid of stuff at dabluz boutique, where I score a two-strand vintage pearl necklace for $12.  

dabluz is part of the shops @glenview, a 3,000 square foot hodgepodge of rooms located below the historic Hotel Glenview. There are handmade treasures, repurposed stuff and raw materials for the yet-to-be-made. A new tenant since my last visit is the Driftless Area Stillroom, an upscale wine and cheese shop that would look and feel at home in Hinsdale. We meet the proprietor Penny. I wish I asked about the unique name ~ there has to be a story behind it.

Our favorite stop on Market Street is New Morning Glass, where a wonderful glass artist named Mary is always gracious and eager to talk shop. 

Last year, she showed Deena and I the four-season, four-panel piece she was completing for a nearby barn-turned home.  It was gorgeous. Aunt Rita and I saw another work, the twelfth and final stained glass window for First Brethren church in Lanark. It was equally gorgeous and interesting for the quilter in Aunt Rita to see Mary's template and process.

We drop into a couple shops I didn't know existed ~ Charlotte Arvelle Glass and Now & Zen Gallery, where we have a nice conversation with Heather, a teacher and artist who hopes to bring art enrichment to Mt. Carroll's youth. Final stop is Brick Street Coffee, a gift boutique and coffee shop located in the renovated Kraft Building. Back at the farm three hours later, where our presence was not missed. Later that evening, we dined at Bella's so I could wear my new pearls and admire Mary's stained glass booths. The food was delicious too, thanks to the creative efforts of Troy and Shaina. We want to keep them cookin'!

Cheers for the red, white and black, I mean blue

The hometown crowd exploded a few minutes into the Fourth of July parade for a sight that makes hockey devotees bow in reverence and more casual fans cheer with excitement. The  traveling Stanley Cup, which has already been on television with David Letterman, in concert with Jimmy Buffett and on the field with the White Sox, graced the streets of Hinsdale, raised in a victory pose by resident Coach Quenneville.



Quenneville's presence briefly overshadowed the parade, but once the crowd ogled the larger-than life-Cup, we settled back into the patriotism of the day, clapping for the real heroes ~ the proud veterans whose fight for freedom is everyone's victory.

I just hope Quenneville's appearance doesn't ruin the other hockey sport; that of chasing down the cup.