Too Much Squawking!!

As my English friends would say, "it's bloody hot", as I would say, "it's hot as hell".  I ran errands and shopped most of the day. In between stops I would glance at the temperature gauge which would show me it was either 101 or 102 outside.  I grew up in weather like this in Texas, but it was supposed to be that hot there, not here.  


Oh stop....it sure doesn't do any good to complain about it.  Just be grateful that you have an air-conditioned car to drive and an air conditioned house to live in and I am...but I have to say it just one more time....it's hot.  OK I'm done.  


Along with being hot (oh, sorry, I said it again), I am excited beyond belief.  This morning a sweet friend of mine, who follows my blog, (that makes her doubly sweet) called and asked me to be the photographer for a family reunion they are having in a couple of weeks.  About 50 people are gathering to celebrate the life of her husband's father & mother while they are both still living.  She asked me to come and shoot the celebration, both posed and candid shots.  Oh I am ecstatic...so much to think about, so much to plan for.  I am giddy.  OK, Deanna take a deep breath.  


Anyway, needed to share that.  And I am just about ready to start printing all of my postcards for Kat's postcard swap then off to the post-office to get them mailed.  Not like waiting until the last minute.  And I gotta admit the hardest thing about this swap is deciding which image(s) to use.  


Prompt Addicts (flickr group) theme this week is bokeh...here is today's entry...my Limelight Hydrangea is just coming into bloom, and I love all this pretty sun-lit bokeh in the background.

My pink hydrangeas are blooming again after the first 40+ blooms pretty much fried due to the heat, hopefully these will last a little longer, but not if we continue to have 100 + degree days. There I go again, talking about the heat.  But looking ahead, the temps are supposed to be in the 80's for the rest of the week, maybe you won't have to listen to me squawk anymore.

I have never messed around with the filters in Photoshop Elements, but I did with this...kinda of a neat look.

"As I grow to understand life less and less, I learn to love it more and more."  ~  Jules Renard

Until next time....

Doubly Blessed

I'ts raining, it's pouring

The old woman is snoring

She drank her tea and went fast asleep

And didn't wake up until morning

My friend, Dotti, who I share our collaborative blog with, Focusing On Life, have never met in person, but will come October when we are both attending Camp Oasis, sent me a wonderful box filled with the most delightful aromas when opened.  It was loaded with teas, all kinds, but one tin was filled with what Dotti says is the remedy for all sleep problems chamomile with lemon.  Now I have mentioned my sleep issues before, more than once unfortunately and I will welcome any and all gifts especially if it involves a good night's sleep.  So....last night prior to bed, I made myself a "cuppa" chamomile tea with lemon, smelled delightful, tasted divine, didn't even have to add sugar it was so heavenly.  Now will it help me sleep?  I didn't fall asleep immediately, I have to admit, but after my nightly "sit and rock" on the back porch I crawled back into bed and lo and behold fell fast asleep and didn't wake up until I heard the sound of rain early this morning. I have been doubly blessed this morning, a good night's sleep and rain.  Wow a twofer.  That chamomile tea is magic!! Thanks again, Dotti.

Walking out to the backyard after the rain had stopped my flowers were smiling and I could almost hear them giggling they were so happy to feel the rain and drink in the moisture.  I can give them water from the hose each day, but there is something about rain from above that gives what they need to be happy.  

The hydrangeas are blooming again.

Even the monarda which is almost spent, appreciated the rain..

And my entry for Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday, outdoors is the theme...sunflowers in the summer time, love them!!

"Let the rain kiss you

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops

Let the rain sing you a lullaby"

Until next time....

The Choices We Make

When a tragedy happens like the one that occurred in Colorado last week, I begin to think about life's journey and what brings most of us to live good lives.  Not perfect and certainly not without pain, sorrow and loss but usually filled with joy and blessings.

As a young person growing up I would classify my life as happy except for the chore of babysitting my younger brother every summer because our Mom worked.  Oh could I tell you stories about those trials, but another day.  I grew up in Dallas, TX in a typical suburban neighborhood, riding bikes, swimming, playing in the woods (who would let their children play in the woods today?), hide and go seek after dark, summer camp.

And then you wonder what kind of a childhood did the gunman have?  He may have led the same kind of life I led, good parents, good schools, not rich, but not poor either.  And as we grow older, decisions are made....crossroads enter our life.  Some of us make the right decisions, chose the right paths.

We become curious about other people, places, or things and certainly other ways of life other than the familiar...

We begin to discover new friends, get new jobs, try new things.....

We begin to discover the wide world that is open to us to discover and enjoy.....

We know there are many roads that we can decide to travel on, some lead us to happiness, some are better left untraveled....

Some have twists and turns....

As I look back on the roads I have traveled, the choices I have made I do not have one regret.  Some choices may have not been ideal, but sometimes those lead to making better choices later on.  And again, I wonder what kind of choices did this young man make in his life that brought him to taking away the lives of others.  I am sad for all those that have lost loved ones, for those that have been injured, for those that will now feel unsafe wherever they go, and I am sad for the family of the gunman, their lives are forever changed and scarred by their son's choices.  I pray for them all.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm and Rosie's Color Me Weekly

"We are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not.  Our actions and states of mind matter, because we're so deeply interconnected with one another." ~  Ram Dass

Until next time.....