A Good Start

The first snips from the garden....Catmint and a new rose bush I planted right by the front door.  Well, technically I didn't plant it, my landscaper/grass taker-care of guy did, but I picked it out and paid for it.  I have been working in the garden over this past week and nothing beats the "hands in the dirt" feeling.  I still have some work to do in my back gardens, but it will happen, eventually.  Something happened to my huge area of monarda (bee balm), only the seedlings came up this year which is quite puzzling since monarda is a staple around here. So I have this rather large, rather empty space that I need to figure out what to plant in that empty spot.  Visiting the nurseries around here I'm finding, unfortunately, something in common....sadly prices keep going up up up.  Am I surprised, no. Do I like it, no.

I have two very distinct obsessions....books and flowers.  I guess if you are going to have an obsession, books and flowers are not by any means dreadful.  (Dreadful would probably fall into another category).   Perhaps dreadful on the pocketbook, but certainly not dreadful for the deep satisfaction I receive from both.  Sitting on the back porch, looking out at the garden and reading a good book is one of my life's greatest pleasures, along with vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate.

OK, switching to a totally different subject, this past Friday Bailey (granddaughter who is living with me) and I road-tripped up to the Milwaukee Zoo to meet up with Hilary and my great grand, Matilda Mae.  She is 20 months old (I know, how did that happen??) and is just a total delight. She had been to the zoo about a week prior with Hilary's Mom (aka grandmother) and loved it. It is a beautiful zoo, such a lovely setting, filled with just the right amount of animals but way too many peacocks.  I have no idea how many there are, but the males were definitely in the "mating mood".  Their mating call is definitely a turn-off, screechingly unacceptable. But I gotta admit they are stunning birds.

The animals were exceptionally active that day. Instead of the usual trying to spot them sleeping inside a cave we saw this....

A couple of "different" friends....

Matilda, did you enjoy the zoo??  And look, she has wisps of hair over her ears, won't be long until she has a pony tail.

Definitely a great start to the 100 days of summer.

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."
                                                                                                                      ~John Steinbeck

Until next time.....

A Day in My Life

Yesterday and today were picture postcard gorgeous, both days sunny and in the 70's with low humidity.  That is darn near perfect weather.  Worked in the garden most all of yesterday afternoon planting flowers and transplanting a huge hosta.  Now that transplanting is a big deal, digging and lifting and then digging and lifting some more.  I really had serious doubts that I would be able to step one foot in front the other this morning, but no problems.  Gardening must be good for your body and soul. And since I don't do yard maintenance any more (best decision I ever made to hire a landscaping company to handle the weekly yard chores, mowing, trimming, cleaning up) I now have more time to spend in the gardens, which is my true love.

Today was B&N coffee time with my gal pals, but 3 of them are leaving for their summer places and won't be around much if any this summer.  Insert sad face here....!!  And then off to the final 1st Wednesday Book Club luncheon and book review for the summer.  We don't gather again until September, another group I will miss seeing this summer.  We enjoy a nice lunch and after lunch one of the members presents a book review.  During the winter after a pleasant lunch when we are all bundled up in cozy sweaters and jackets, many have a tendency to dose off during the presentations, which unfortunately I have been guilty of in the past.  I have volunteered to be a presenter next year during the winter-time, I wonder how I am going to feel when I look out on my audience and see heads bobbing...hmmm.  My choice for lunch today was a summer salad made with grains, (quinoa, never knew how to pronounce that word until recently, I wanted to pronounce it quin o aa but I think it's pronounced keen wa...who comes up with these names?) fava beans (reminds me of Silence of the Lambs) chickpeas, and kale. Since I don't eat well at times I thought this would be the healthiest choice.  It was very tasty but with all those beans I have been having frequent reminders of them ever since. Decided not to go to summer Bible study this evening for just that reason. (snort!) And yes, I was wide awake the entire time, in case you wondered.

Sitting on the back porch this evening I spotted two Mourning Doves (Love Birds) landing on the dead tree branches in my neighbors back yard (another story) and grabbed my camera for what I hoped would be a "love" shot.  Not so much, they must have been in a disagreement because they turned their backs on each other and never spoke.  Obviously a lover's spat.

My roses are blooming.....yea!!!

And I still have peonies yet to bloom.... (and just because I have a little bit of fence in this shot, I am joining Theresa at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report for her Good Fences on Thursdays.

I love summer.

"Summer: Hair gets lighter. Skin gets darker. Water gets warmer. Drinks get colder. Music gets louder. Nights get longer. Life gets better."  ~  Author Unknown

Until next time.....

Me, the Kids, and the Meter Reader....

Hmmm, since it's been so long since I have really written down my thoughts I seem to be a might lax in coming up with something blog worthy.  My world remains pretty much the same....kids are fine, sweetie is still with us and now almost 4 years August 1st in a care facility, thrilled that summer is here and I envision long afternoons and evenings enjoying the screen porch.  In fact the sun is shining brightly right now and the temps are warming up so I plan on making this post rather short, so I can enjoy the outdoors.

I have a couple of peony bushes on the side of the house where absolutely no one can enjoy them unless you happen to walk thru the front yard into the back yard which only me, the kids, and the electric meter reader possibly see.  And I doubt the kids or the meter reader have any idea just how beautiful pink peonies are.  It's almost impossible for me to choose between the multi layer petals of the ranunculous, the beauty of the rose, or the huge, gorgeous, perfumed scented petals of the peony as to which is my favorite.  Right now and because they are in bloom, it's the peonies.  And because they are positioned and growing where they are, I cut them to enjoy their short life and photograph the heck out of them, so you, the kids, and the meter reader can enjoy them.

And these scissors you see in the pic below, those were a "must have"....I saw them all over instagram and blogs and being just like a kid, I had to have them.  Last winter I ordered them from Etsy, along with another pair and to this date I have photographed these twice, and the other pair never.  How many times do we do this, think we have to have what everyone else has only to find out we really and truly didn't "need" it at all.  In my 70's and still have that child mentality, but they do add a nice addition to the image. (this is me convincing myself that the purchase was camera worthy)

"You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along 

the way."  ~  Walter Hagen

Until next time....

The Waiting Is Over

Whew....the waiting is finally over.  Matilda Mae, decided to enter this world on Wednesday, Sept 17th at 1:56 PM.  She wasn't very willing, she was just too snug and content in her Mother's womb to make her appearance.  After breaking Hilary's water (see I told you Matilda wasn't ready) and a long labor, all 8.86 lbs, 21" long our little miracle arrived.  And no, this great-grandmother has yet to see her, other than all the photos posted on facebook and you know how much anticipation I have to hold her, squeeze her, love her (and take her picture).  I am patiently (and that is really difficult for me) waiting until the new parents and child have some time to settle in.  With clothing, toys, books, hats & various other gifts for Matilda Mae I hope my wait isn't too long.

While waiting for her to arrive I took a quick trip to Ohio to visit my 2 sister-in-laws and their family driving 5 hours with both "kids".  I was so proud of them, Toby was buckled in with a harness in the front seat, and Cinder sat on her blanket in the back seat never hearing a peep from either one.  Both were better behaved than either one of my children when traveling.  No arguments, no fights, no "when are we going to be there?"

There I was blessed with new sights to see and capture thru my lens.   The first day I was there we wandered thru the old "Oregon" district where they are renovating the beautiful old homes that have fallen in disrepair.  Some were filled with charm and beauty, others still needed a little more tender loving care but every where you looked my eyes were filled with the architecture of a by-gone era.

And then we found the field of sunflowers and I was struck by the awe and beauty of this field filled with golden flowers with their heads leaning towards the sunlight.  Now I have seen sunflowers growing many, many times and have loved them from the start, but to see a whole field of them absolutely took my breath away.

Many more pictures to come from this short but sweet trip and ofcourse Matilda Mae will soon make her appearance on these pages in the near future.  I am blessed.

PS  I would love it if you would hop on over to my collaborative blog "Focusing On Life" where I have shared more pics with word art of my trip.

And I am linking to Kim's Friday Finds to share my lovely and joy-filled week.....

Until then......

My Reward....

 

Isn't this a beautiful church steeple.  It was at one time the tallest structure in our city, but since we moved here several have taken her place as taller, you know progress.  I took this image this morning after a trip to the bank to get my debit card straightened out.  Only me could do something this dumb....a while back a weekend bank personnel (over zealous) cancelled my debit card....arghh!! She thought there was fraud on the account, but no.  Sending a new one took almost a week.  I very rarely carry cash, almost everywhere takes credit cards (except my hairdresser).  So until my new debit card arrived the bank gave me a cash card.  Only works at banks, no place else (I tried) but at least I could withdraw cash until my new debit card appeared.  Ahh the day arrived, my new debit card landed in my mail box.  But wait....they mail the PIN number in a separate mailing (for your protection).  OK, another wait.  Finally, debit card with funkie PIN arrives.  I immediately call the 800 number, quote the pin number to activate the debit card.  Whoopee!!  I am back in business except.....I immediately shredded the PIN number info without writing it down.  Drats. Oh well, I still have my cash card if I need cash.  Until I lost my cash card....I think I left it in the bank slot where you withdraw cash...the ATM machine.  Anyway, now I am up sh_ _ creek.  No way to get cash. But no worries, a nice young banker man fixed my problem and now my debit card can withdraw cash just like every other debit card on the face of the earth!!  Until I screw something else up.....

OK now that the debit card situation is over and done with I headed to get the oil changed in my car since my warning light had been on for awhile, ok more than awhile, too long.  And I had a slow leak in my left rear passenger side tire.  Every once in awhile the low tire icon would appear on the dashboard and I would stop and fill it up with air....I can't believe gas stations charge for air, come on.  So had oil changed, tire is now fixed (nail) and I am on my way again.  When I have accomplished obstacles like debit card issues, oil issues and tire issues, I feel the need to reward myself by stopping by the little park I passed on the way to the oil changer/tire fixer place to wander and ofcourse snap a few images.  And the fact that it was a beautiful day with brilliant blue skies added an extra incentive for this stop over/reward.

As I walked thru the park I found all kinds of "wild things" growing.

I have no idea what this is, but I love it.  The brilliant pink stems, bright green leaves, green and deep purple berries, wow.

And ofcourse the cone flowers are in their last stages of beauty...

Dry and bare but beautiful...

The entrance to the play area is dazzling with the mesh wire delights...

Not a single solitary child in the play area....school is now in session.

When I first began to gaze at this I thought it was a mother bug carrying it's young on it's back....but then I saw more in this same "position" and then I remembered the story my mom taught me about the birds and the bees and I think they were adhering to the age old mantra.....go forth and multiply.

Just a great day to reward myself....

"I believe God lets us stumble along, slowly finding our way, and giving us chances to pick each other up."
             ~ Anna White

Until next time.....

"Labor Day - Wars - Reading" or "More Rambling"

Happy Labor Day everyone who labors at something.  My laboring is minimal at best....in fact my yard and gardens have really suffered because of the lack of laboring that occurred this past summer.  I could blame it on the weather, but we have had really nice weather this summer, I could blame it on the fact that when the workers installed my new fence last summer they ruined quite a few of the bushes, which in turn kinda ruined the look of the front garden.  And I am sure I could come up with more reasons, but truth be told I think I was just lazy and I don't have quite the oomph nor my sweetie around to help.  Sitting on the back porch reading and relaxing had far more appeal to me this summer than weeding, mowing, trimming etc.

And now with this holiday upon us it really marks the end of summer.  Oh I know it will still be warm and there will be plenty more days of relaxing on the porch.  But somehow when Labor Day comes it is like saying goodbye to summertime.  The kids are back in school, the pool officially closes today, I will hear the cheers from the football stadium and the bands playing not too far from my home, the sun is beginning to lower in the sky and darkness comes earlier.

But with the beginnings of early Fall, my hydrangeas are exploding (see above) and my neighbor's sunflowers have burst into bloom.  I could see the bright yellow from across the street, so naturally I grabbed my camera and wandered around the pond snapping about a kajillion pics of the sunflowers.  Sunflowers have to be in my top 5 fav flower, especially growing.

Today not only is the US celebrating Labor Day but the day is also distinguished as the official end to World War II, VJ Day with the Japanese finally admitting defeat after 2 Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the Japanese avoided our attempts at peace.  After reading "The Girls From Atomic City" a non-fiction narrative of both the building of the city of Oak Ridge, Tn and it's purpose, to build the atomic bomb I have become more aware of what this world must have been like during the late 1930's thru 1945.    It involved more than 100 million people and more than 30 countries. Horrible, devastating war, but we don't seem to learn....war continues somewhere every day.  Another great book, fiction, involving the destructive effects of the war on a personal level is "All The Light We Cannot See", superb read!!

I am currently reading "The Invention of Wings".  The story of slavery and the bonds that are formed between the white daughter of a plantation owner and her black slave....which ofcourse eventually leads to the Civil War.  I seem to be stuck on wars today.  But since I now read almost 100% on my two kindles, one my original and one a Kindle Fire, I can tell you that I am 25% into the book, or I am on page 96, or there is 7 hours and 53 minutes left according to my reading speed.  Don't ya love it!!

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.  The man who never reads lives only one." 
                    ~ George RR Martin

Linking up with Tamar from Random-osity for her

                                                                 
Until next time....

It is Coming......

Well, the kids are back in school, Labor Day is upon us, and shortly the leaves will begin their yearly burst of oranges, reds & yellows.  I gotta admit that I have a hard time choosing between spring and fall as my two favorite times of the year.  Altho based on the fact that winter follows fall I will have to go with spring.  We all know I did quite a bit of moaning and groaning last year, alright let's call it like it really was, I bitched about the long, cold & snowy winter and I keep hearing that it will repeat again this year.  So prepare yourself for more bitchin' if that does indeed come to fruition.  I just hope that I handle it with a little more grace than I did last year.  A great way to handle it would be to leave for a warmer climate....say January thru March but that ain't gonna happen.

OK, enough already....one indication that Fall is quickly approaching are the little crab apples that are constantly dropping off of the tree in my side yard.  Now if I was really ambitious maybe I could use these little fruits in a jelly or jam but instead I will just use them as props for a photo.

I love this little hand-painted cup.  My Dad's sister was an artist and she painted this in 1962, over 50 years ago.  I love that I have a rememberance of her and her talent.  PS...the reason that bokeh looks so weird is that I took this on my back porch and that is the screening in the background.

Another reminder is the latest blooming hosta is now sprouting her final show

And finally, and this has absolutely nothing to do with fall....the kids went to the beauty shop and got their hair and nails done.  Aren't they adorable.  I just love those two....

And one last thing....I am joining Good Fences, TexWisGirl's weekly meme.  I know this isn't much of a fence, but I promise it is, an 8 foot one that obviously is used by many a bird to perch on.   And again this has absolutely nothing to do with Fall except that the sparrows never leave, Fall or Winter they stay no matter what.  I wonder if they bitched as much as I did last year??

"But the struggles make you stronger and the changes make you wise...And happiness has its own way of taking its sweet time. " ~ Gary Allen

Until next time.....

The Glorious "Give"

Whoever introduced stretch into capris, jeans, and slacks should definitely be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  I rummaged thru my summer drawers this AM looking for what to wear and pulled out capris that I had not worn all summer.  Needless to say they did not have the glorious stretch and the peacefulness of my morning was gone in a flash....struggle struggle to zip and snap.  And after finally reaching my goal, they were so uncomfortable that off they came with more of a struggle.  Now some of you probably can't appreciate that "give" that I'm talking about, that's because you probably are of a decent weight, flat tummy and are perhaps thin enough to wear skinny jeans, which is not even in my vocabulary.  But those of us that are not of the perfect weight, that may have a little more around the waistline that is needed or wanted can appreciate that wonderful give to our bottoms, again Nobel for those responsible.  Just sayin....

And speaking of glorious there are a few things that stop me dead in my tracks and beckon me to grab my camera and snap.  Among these glorious finds are.....

Interesting ducks at the pond across the street.  These are Cormorants, I have seen them in other parts of this area but never in our neighborhood.

Hawks absolutely fascinate me....

Sunflowers, they take my breath away....

Interesting faces, especially if they let me take their portrait.....

I guess I probably don't have to mention barns, especially old red ones....

And the beauty of a butterfly in my back yard staying still long enough to take a snap just makes my heart happy....

And then there are always horses....especially ones that are nuzzling.

And speaking of nuzzling, today is my sweeties birthday.  I am heading off to the care facility to deliver his birthday cards, give him birthday kisses, and throw in a few nuzzles too.

Have a happy, blessed week!!

"But the struggles make you stronger and the changes make you wise...And happiness has its own way of taking its sweet time."  ~ Gary Allen

Until next time....