Dear Reader:

Last night I tested batteries and lights for the garden lanterns and began placing them around as darkness descended. Soon, however, I realized that the sky looked like it was shining a giant flashlight on the yard and garden…..oh that big beautiful moon….do pray it is just as magnificent tonight.

It was shining on the fountain…Ernie had cleaned out the fountain a few weeks ago for me and I washed the pennies and other coins in bleach….under the moon beams they looked like gold fish. It was then that I found the first coin that I threw in the fountain. A penny with the year of my birth on it….and thanks to Fred Edwards (four other pennies) depicitng the birth years of my grandchildren.

I thought of my first penny I threw in the new fountain in 2014 (with the fountain purchase) and my wish…. the grandchildren were definitely part of it and then good health….in fact all of the wish, to date, has come true.

Anne picked up some new 2016 pennies for me at the bank to give out today so all your wishes can be fresh and in the moment for this year and wherever that takes them in the future.. They are bright, clean, and shiny.

The idea of wishes and throwing coins in the fountain to make our dreams come true goes back to ancient days. Here is a short excerpt about this tradition in longevity.

Article: Why We Throw Coins in a Fountain:

People have been throwing coins into fountains seemingly as long as there have been coins and fountains. The tradition all started with water. Water, of course, is vital to sustain human life. While many people in the developed world today have clean, drinkable water readily available from their kitchen taps, this was not always the case. Potable drinking holes in many regions weren’t the easiest things to find. Thus, where clean water was available, many early European tribes believed that such areas were a gift from the gods.

The idea that drinkable water was sent from the heavens remained even as wells and fountains were built. Often, a small statue of a god could be found next to early wells and fountains, turning them into a type of shrine.

As you probably already know, presenting gifts to gods is an ancient practice that was usually meant to appease angry gods, or to act as a payment for a request or prayer. In the case of fountains and wells, people would toss in a coin while sending up a prayer—an early version of making a wish.

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This past weekend was quite the mixture of life’s ups and downs. Brooke fell down her side steps Friday and really busted up her leg and hurt her knee…(it was her other leg from the earlier accident at the wedding.) Libby has to wait until Tuesday to hear how all her tests came out, and Jackson was told she really needs knee replacement. I am definitely going to have to throw a coin in the fountain today/tonight for each of  my Ya’s….wishing good health.

And speaking of good health/or lack of….Saturday night Rutledge was playing on the sofa, lost his balance, fell and hit his forehead over his eye on the corner of a television table.

Walsh took him to the hospital and it was decided that the cut wasn’t deep enough for stitches, instead they put some kind of “glue” on it to help it heal back. I don’t know who was more tired upon leaving the hospital…Walsh or Rutledge. Never a dull moment with little boys.

It will probably take a little longer for Walsh to recover than Rutledge….sheer exhaustion.

When I stopped by yesterday Rutledge had almost forgotten about the incident… he and little brother Lachlan were rough housing again…it’s what little boys do.

There is a horse farm across the entrance turn from Walsh and Mollie’s home so Mollie took the boys over to the see the horses and the boys ended up getting to feed one horse. Sunday was much better than Saturday!

Yesterday was also Eva Cate’s dance recital….this year’s theme was Arabian Nights -the last time we had a blog reader’s gathering was to celebrate me “out-storying” Scheherazade with my 1002nd blog entry. And now here we are again….God is so good.

Eva Cate was funny….it was like she chose one dance move and let it be her beginning, middle, and finale signature dance step. While the other little dancers stared down at their feet trying to remember which foot went where….Eva Cate just smiled out at the audience and did her pinwheel move over and over and over with an occasional twirl for good measure…..she was having fun and that’s what it is all about! Just precious…she was so excited about receiving her dance trophy.

I brought her six white roses and then John and Mandy and Carrie brought flowers too….she was quite the star.

Eva Cate has been wanting a trophy for a long time to take for show and tell and now she has one….success at last!

Jakie couldn’t figure out why Eva Cate put a feather in her hair and suddenly everyone was pawning over her….would it work for him too? (Thanks Kaitlyn and Tommy for keeping Jakie…I know he was much happier with y’all than at a dance recital )

So until tomorrow….Yes, life has its ups and downs and just maybe the magic moon gate’s fountain will bring extra good luck to all who make a wish and toss their bright shiny penny in the water tomorrow. Like Eva Cate…no matter if we miss a few dance steps (or in your case Brookie… side steps)…the whole idea in life is to have fun! Looking forward to seeing all who can scoot by today….

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh