Gems from Ohio Caverns

 Today marks 11 years since Joe lost his mother and I lost my mother-in-law.  We've both experienced so much loss of loved ones, but her loss has been the hardest.  I don't expect the grief to ever go away.  She left a void, a crack in my heart that will never be the same.  Over the years since, rather unconsciously, I've surrounded myself with many wonderful older ladies who's friendships have begun to seep into that crack, slowly filling it.  But not of the same substance for the evidence of such deep loss will always be there under the surface.  Though different now, the mark remains, like kintsugi.  While I still wish I had more time with my mother-in-law, I'm so grateful for the time we did have and for how quickly she welcomed my into her family, years before Joe and I were even engaged or married.  ❤

Over the summer, Joe planned a trip for us and didn't tell me where we were going.  He kept the secret until we arrived at our destination.  We had a wonderful stay in an romantic escape room, explored a beautiful local park, and on a whim, went to the Ohio Caverns on our way home.  We had time before the next available tour so of course we went shopping in their gift shop.  I really loved seeing all the cool stuff they had, and I brought home these stunning gems.

I was admittedly a bit nervous that Míriel would try to pouch a stone, but thankfully she just gave them each a sniff.  I think she just wanted to be sure that there were no other pecans hiding among the gems.  Haha!

Elendil is a bit hard to photograph as he isn't too interested in food so there isn't much I can offer him to convince him to stay put.  I thought if I arranged the rocks in a circle, maybe he'd feel trapped, but he in fact was more than willing to wander out of circle, so the picture taking didn't last very long.  But that's okay.  He's still the best little boy.  😊

SETI Board Game

We got this game over the summer and have enjoyed playing it a few times.  It's longer so it doesn't make it to the table much now that we are busier with Joe being at work and overseeing IEN when he gets home from work.  We've paired down our game collection quite a bit, but we still have plenty of others to choose from when we do get a chance to play a game.  We really like this game though!

Míriel is getting old enough now that I'm starting to subtle changes in her.  She's a bit less active and her fur is getting a bit lighter in color.  But she still regularly surprises me with how crazy she is, especially when I'm cleaning her tank.  She is still quite unrelenting about trying to escape while I've got her lid open for cleaning.

Elendil hasn't been out as often in the evenings before we go to bed, so I don't see him as much as I'd like.  I know Chinese Dwarf Hamsters are known for being incredibly shy and elusive.  And while Elendil does somewhat fit that stereotype, he is also so incredibly sweet when I do get to hold him.  

Flower Favors

 At the end of May, we went to a wedding and for the favors, they had these little flower pots and packets of seeds.  I didn't get them planted right away, but eventually I did.  Not much actually sprouted and it still has not bloomed, so I'm not sure what it is.  But it's fun to have mystery flowers in the garden.  :)

Míriel was so happy to get some strawberry!  Since it's seasonal, she doesn't get it very often, and she clearly loves them!

I absolutely love how well Elendil fit in the tiny pots!  He likes small spaces as they make him feel safe, so he happily curled up in them.  So precious!!