A Fence Journey

Last Friday, Kim and her daughter, Chloe from Picking Poppies was in my area to visit her family and we took the opportunity to spend an afternoon together roaming the countryside.  One of my favorite things to do especially on this totally gorgeous afternoon. After the winter we had Spring has really had some outstanding days with sun, beautiful blue skies with white puffy clouds, low humidity (always a plus) and soft breezes.  And it was just that kind of day that we were blessed with.  Some fields had been planted with corn but the sprouts were really tiny as they burst forth to grow eventually into tall stalks and producing that much loved summer favorite....corn on the cob.

Recently Theresa from The Run A Round Ranch Report began hosting "Good Fences" on Thursdays. Fences have always been one of my favorite subjects to photograph and I don't know how I fell by the wayside, but then, alot fell by the wayside this past year, but anyhoo, decided to link up this week and share the fences that I discovered on the drive to the country.

I love this one because 1) beautiful blue sky 2) red barn 3) cows 4) great tree framing the barn...what more could you ask for from one fence lover to the next...!!!

And we can all use a little help now and again....even fences.

            
Hope your days are filled with sunshine, happiness and good fences.

"Today was good.  Today was fun.  Tomorrow is another one."  ~ Dr. Seuss 

Until next time.....

Makes My Heart Sing

I am a sick sick woman when it comes to flowers.  I decided to head out this morn to check out my local grocery store's, yes I said grocery store, choice of beauties and filled my back trunk to the brim.  I just happened to hit it at just the right moment as the delivery truck was unloading pot upon pot of lovelies just when I pulled into the parking lot.  Then, figuring I still had the back seat free I headed for my favorite local garden center and you guessed it, I filled that too.  I say it again, I am a sick sick woman when it comes to flowers. And I still have more to buy.  I lost 2 out of 3 rose bushes in my back yard, sad face inserted here, so I still need to replace those and there are more pots to fill.

I have now switched to begonias for planting in my front shade garden.  Impatiens were always my mainstay but they have developed some sort of plant disease and many garden centers aren't even selling them this year.  I planted them last year and they were happy all summer with no problems, but decided to be safe this year with begonias.  Drats!!  I will still plant them in pots, just not in the ground.  Rumor says that if your soil gets infected with the whatever they are calling this disease you have to wait 7 years to replant again. YIKES!!

So the planting and cleaning continues and it does feel so good to be outdoors in short sleeves.  Makes my heart sing and the kids love it when Mom is outside all day.

"Be/Accept/Value/Forgive/Bless/Express/Trust/Love/Empower....Yourself. "  ~ unknown

Until next time....

Been Busy....

So, I have been working my little (who am I trying to kid) ass off in the garden these past few days. Between having a new fence put in late last summer and the gosh awful winter, the garden was looking a little poorly. I had to cut bushes way back from where the fence install people stepped all over them, I really thought I was going to have to replace them all, but I just decided to give them a good haircut and hope for the best.  There is a lot of new growth so I am waiting to see if Mother Nature will give them a second chance.  Plus it's darn expensive to have 4 bushes cut down and then replaced.  I raked out all the winter crap, turned up the soil, had it looking pretty darn good and feeling a sense of accomplishment. I even went out and bought a couple of pots to brighten it up and then.....we had a storm.

The skies blackened, the wind blew, the rains came down in sheets, then an added bonus, hail.  I was afraid at one time that it was going to break the windows.  The ground was covered with white balls the size of goose eggs.  What is it with this white stuff falling from the skies...first its snow all winter, now it's hail.  Ah come on...really!!?? A walk around the yard revealed lots of sticks and fallen leaves, my nicely edged and turned soil in my garden was now a blob and my large hostas had big holes, obviously from the hail.  So there is not much to do until things dry up a little, I checked my rain gauge but as I pulled it from the ground, I noticed it had a hole in the bottom, so no telling how much rain fell.  I did manage to get some weed and feed on the lawn this AM, directions state to apply when grass is wet...no problem there.

But during all the rain, wind and hail I was watching the finale of "Dancing With the Stars"....can I just say I was ecstatic that Meryl and Max won that gawdy Miraball Trophy.  What an amazing dancer she is and how she managed to turn Max into a crying pussycat who was truly smitten was a site to behold.  Amy and Derek were truly an inspiration to those who have faced such adversity and to show the world that obstacles can be overcome....and PS I thought Candace should have gone home much earlier, just sayin.

Hope your days are storm free and filled with the beauty of springtime....

"A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it."   ~Ray Davis

Until next time.....

You Hoo.....

You hoo....where in the world have I been?  I even let my 3rd year blogging anniversary slip by without notice.   The last time I posted was right before leaving for a women's retreat with the theme being "Finding My Inner Joy".  We were blessed with wonderful weather and I was able to be outside for an afternoon wandering around the beautiful grounds which indeed brought be great joy.  The weekend was filled with lots of joy-filled singing (in fact the Monday after I was still humming and singing those songs as I returned to my everyday routine), delicious meals, times of laughter and times for reflection.

We each had our own rooms, but I gotta admit that the walls were little more than paper thin, you could hear your neighbor drop a pin which indeed worried me.  Why would this worry me...??? because I am a terrible snorer and I didn't want to keep anybody awake with all my night noises. No one complained, but I'm thinkin' they were just being nice.

Began the massive clean-up in my garden last week, worked for 3 days and have barely made a dent (but I do think age may be a contributing factor too)....and then the rains came.  It has rained every day for the past week creating a soggy mess in the yard and garden.  The weeds have loved it.  The bushes, trees, and plants have loved it.  The grass has loved it.  But needless to say, it has created a feeling of anxiousness in me, each day is a postponement to the garden I love to see, neat, weed-free, turned soil, edged, and filled with happy plants and flowers.  Ain't happened yet.  And we keep breaking those weather records, wettest May, coolest May....blah blah blah.

The kids (dogs) went to the beauty shop (groomers) today. They both came back cleaner and a definite loss of hair and shortened nails with Toby now sportin' his summer look and Cinder looking a little chubbier around the middle.  Hmm, guess I have to cut out some of her treats.

Went to see my sweetie today.  I can't tell you how difficult it is seeing him, and unfortunately I can think of a million reasons not to go.  He is still healthy (generally speaking), still eating well, but the sparkle in his eyes is dimming and I really don't think he has any idea who I am.  As much as I don't like going to the nursing home and seeing my sweetie the way he is now, it still makes my soul a little quieter after seeing him.

Off to book club where we will be discussing Scott Turow's IDENTICAL.  A story of identical twins, one running for mayor of a large city, the other just being released from prison for killing his girlfriend, 19 years ago.  Very interesting info about gathering DNA and fingerprints from identical twins.  I liked it, thought it moved at a great pace, interesting characters and I didn't guess the ending which is always a plus in a "murder mystery".  I just finished, "YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN", really fascinating book about a marriage counselor/psychologist who has just written a book revealing what you should have known prior to marrying the man of your dreams, and if the marriage isn't working, then you should have known these insights before even considering marriage.  But guess what??? her own marriage begins to fall apart (along with a murder) as those things she should have known begin revealing themselves.  So instead of working in the garden on these rainy days, I have continued my pursuit of reading more with great success.  Probably another reason why you haven't seen me for awhile.

"There is nothing which persevering effort and unceasing and diligent care cannot accomplish."  ~ Seneca

Until next time......

Five Senses Friday

Since Nancy from A Rural Journal decided to take a break from blogging, which I think we all tend to do on occasion, and her meme, Random Five On Friday is no longer I decided I would return to a personal meme of mine, Five Senses Friday.  I am trying to be more mindful of my days, myself, my friends, my spirituality, and what better way to become more mindful than to stop and appreciate our senses.

So today I am.....

Smelling -

Seeing - OK, I am not seeing this today but Sunday is a comin' and some of my fav TV shows are on in a single night.  I tape as many as my cable company allows, then have to watch the rest "On Demand".

 - Call the Midwife - charming characters that bring the miracle of life into the world, already into it's 3rd season.
 -  Mr. Selfridge - did not watch this last year but now in the midst of this wonderful story of the Mr. Selfridge that built a magnificent department store in the midst of London prior to World War I.  Again, have fallen in love with all the characters and the richness of the time and place.
 -  The Good Wife - now who doesn't watch this?  Been there from the first moment and along with a bazillion others was totally shocked when Will departed...rather suddenly.
 -  Game of Thrones - oh I know, blood, nudes, lots of fighting, but always a surprise or two awaits, and sorry I did not grieve when that evil king was poisoned.  What a little snot he was.
 -  Revenge - I am afraid I might give up on Emily and her vengeful ways.  It is almost predictable.  So maybe this is one I won't have to jockey with in the future.
 -  Resurrection - Interesting concept, not sure where they are going to go with this one, but it's only one more episode before this season's wrap-up, wonder if it will be renewed??  Almost like The Walking Dead but they look better.
 - Believe - another one that is questionable, another week another chase.  But I do like the little miracles that she drops along the way.
 -  Crisis - Now what happens when they get all those high school kids back home??  I have a feeling this one is going to bite the dust.
 -  The Bletchley Circle - a group of 4 women who worked together during World War II in London deciphering the enemies (Germans) codes and now after the war end up solving crimes together, sometimes landing right in the perilous middle of them.

Touching - Clothing, toiletries, my Bible, suitcase - I am off for a weekend Women's Retreat entitled "Finding Your Inner Joy"....I am in great need of this right now.  I get glimpses of joy, but I want the whole package...but sometimes I wonder if we place too much emphasis on "joy", sometimes I think being satisfied or having a feeling of contentment is just as important as joy.  There are days where there isn't a lot of joy in my life, especially this last week with it being cloudy, rainy and downright chilly and feeling more like March than the end of April and the beginning of May.  But I did fill my days with the contentment of reading, cuddled on the couch with my two kids next to me.  

Hearing - Not much.  My house tends to be quiet except when the kids are barking at whatever or whoever walks by the front sidewalk.  I am not one that turns the TV on during the day, I should probably just for the news.  I did not renew my morning newspaper subscription, which has totally disrupted my morning ritual of coffee and the newspaper, but the cost was getting ridiculous, over $375. a year.  But I may relent and cough up the money, I have felt out of sorts without my morning newspaper.  And don't say I can get the news on-line, just not the same.

Tasting - Chicken Enchilada Soup...oh yum.  I made this yesterday and it tastes even better the second day...sprinkle on some cheddar cheese and tortilla strips that adds to the yuminess.  Just a perfect accompaniment to this chilly, overcast day.

"We all live under the same sky, but we all don't have the same horizon."  ~ Konrad Adenauer 

Until next time.....