Oh Montana...

... oh the beautiful big skies of montana! I flew out to spend a few days with my brother and sister; all of us in the thick of our own life transitions and unknowns. It can be wretchedly overwhelming and lonely, but it was nothing less than goodness to escape with them into the wilds of Montana and Idaho for a day and just BE. Together. 

There were many other good things during this five-day hiatus:

• Nathaniel's 27th birthday- pizza and chocolate cake!
  
• Kara's 31st/32nd birthday (which is it, must remember to ask Kim)- oatmeal breakfast with berries
• Tea/dinner at our cousins the Iudacellos and their sweetcrazy boys
• A night in the beautiful bitteroot mountains with Allison and Co.
• Goldbug hotsprings in Idaho... oooooohhhh.... 
• Walks through the hills of Missoula
• Meadowlarks...
• The Peas Farm
• Roxy the dying dog
• Harry Potter

And just a few of the better photos of this grand time:

Happy Birthday Kara and Than!

Thank you for such goodness, and beauty and for yourselves...

you are both brilliant, shining, solid pieces of my life 

and I am    so     glad. 

The week in photos...

This has been quite a week...
lots of intense weather and big colorful skies

A visit from my Egyptian host sister, Heidi and mother, Tant Miriam... we got some of the sights and sounds of Baltimore in... Fells Point, Ft. McHenry, Federal Hill, Okenshaw, Clayworks etc.
And got a taste of Egypt too- making and eating Macaroona b'shemelle (macaroni with a white sauce and meat), ruzz b'leben (Egyptian style Rice pudding), and drinking large quantities of shai (tea). 


What good fun. Now to rest up, pick up the pieces and get ready for a trip to Missoula on Thursday! WHOOT!! When it rains it pours. 

The good old fashioned way...

Oh for the luxury of modern technological advances in home care and cleanliness... what are those handy dandy little dust-bunny-sucking gizmos again...? Dustbusters? Ahhh... can you imagine the ease and speed of cleaning with such a thing?? 

But, sadly, without one of the glorious little machines, nothings left at the end of the day, but to haul the rugs out for a good beating! 

*part of ongoing communal blogging with friends. See previous posts.