Dropped A Few More Coins

My poor Bailey (granddaughter who has been living with me since August) is still waiting to hear if she has been accepted into a new job she interviewed for over a month ago.  The job, if she gets it, would mean a move to Omaha, NB, which means ofcourse, I will lose my roommate of nearly a year. I know she really wants to move on with her life, and I want that for her too, but damn I'm gonna miss her.  After living alone for 4 years, new life was brought into my tiny little domain, new life with Bailey and with Boone (her kitten, I relented and let her buy). I will miss our TV watching together, our shopping trips, our runs to our favorite frozen yogurt place, but time and life moves on.

Right now she is headed to Champagne, IL to assist a store in need, so I really think this is the end of her life with Nana. Sob! On the positive side, I get a closet back. Deanna, it sounds like you need a good clean-out of your walk-in closet (translated means large) if you need an overflow closet.  It's on my list of "to do's".  Enough about cleaning, it's summer. So, after dropping her off at the car rental place I headed over to a favorite garden center. Uh oh, I did it again, dropped a few more coins and brought home more bloomin' beauties. And caught a glimpse of an early season butterfly.

Must get outdoors to plant those beauties I brought home. Hope your day is glorious!!

"Life is full of miracles, but they're not always the ones we pray for."  ~  Eve Arden

Linking to Kim at Little Things Thursday and TexWiseGirl for her Good Fences

Until next time,

I Really, Really Do

Three blog posts in a row.  I do believe that I have set a record for this entire year. How sad is that?!

I took the "kids" to the beauty shop today.....don't they look shiny & clean.  Next week Cinder goes in for dental cleaning and surgery. She has needed this done since the day I brought her home (2 years) but I have been putting it off because of the cost. But her breath is soooo bad it's become much worse than "morning breath" and you know how bad that can be sometimes, well at least mine can.  Toby doesn't seem to change from year to year, but Cinder has been spouting more gray around her face. Hmm, wonder if she wants a dye job to cover up all that gray....just kidding.

On my way home from taking them to the beauty shop, I stopped at the horse farm to check on "fall color".  The horses were in the back 40, so no shots of them, but I did spot color galore. Oh I really do love this time of year, I really, really do.

I specifically stopped there to grab a snap of the fence that leads into the horse farm.  I have not participated in Theresa's (aka TexWisGirl) Good Fences on her blog in many a day.

I liked that all the wild-flowers of late summer were still blooming, adorning the old wood fencing.
I know you have probably seen this quote many, many times lately....but it is so true for me at this very moment, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." L.M. Montgomery, the author of "Ann of Green Gables."  Thanks everyone for stopping by. I promise I will visit you all very soon!

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.....

That Time of the Year

Spring came, Spring left, and now it seems to be returning again.  I did say that it was a fickle season and this past couple of weeks proved my point.  A week ago Monday it was 70 degrees, this Monday we had a snow-fall of about 5 inches, wet, heavy stuff.  Today there is hardly any trace left of that 5 inches.  "Hope for the best. Expect the worst. Life is a play. We're unrehearsed." ~ Mel Brooks  That about sums up Spring around here.  I did manage to find a robin or two during the snowstorm, sitting on the rose bushes in the backyard, patiently waiting for the snow to stop.  

Now we are back to this.....

Linking up to Theresa's Good Fences 

I get real antsy about this time of year.  The holidays are long gone, the winter has gone on too long, my getaway to Arizona is over, too early to even think about planting flowers, it's that ho-hum time of the year for me.  I start getting real lazy....sitting around reading, binge watching TV shows, playing solitaire on my I-Phone, ya know all really important meaningful ways to spend the day. 

I volunteered to take pictures of the animals at our Humane Society, thinking I would go a couple of times a week.  But after further discussion, I think they want someone that can come practically every day.  I don't know if I want to be that committed to a volunteer undertaking.  They did say they needed photographers for their events, which is a consideration.  I was so excited about the possibility of being around animals and photographing them, but it's just a might much for me to commit oneself to.  I know my limits.  

We have been studying Joanna Weaver's "Having a Mary Spirit" in Bible Study.  This last week we focused on forgiving others.  Sometimes we have been hurt and the person responsible isn't even aware of the hurt.  Many times we carry this burden of hurt and don't want to forgive.  I found this quote today and thought it was so appropriate for letting go....  "Holding on to anger, resentment and hurt only gives you tense muscles, a headache and a sore jaw from clenching your teeth. Forgiveness gives you back the laughter and the lightness in your life." ~ Joan Lunden  Isn't that just perfect. And I also found this on Pinterest and decided to add it to an Arizona image of mine. 

Yes, we can count on God and his love for healing old wounds and help us to forgive.  Who wants to carry around old hurts, not me. 

Until next time.....

Seeing the Beauty

Daffodils, one of the earliest flowers to begin blooming here, altho these are not from here, well, technically they are not, they are actually from Trader Joe's and I have no idea where they came from. But they remind me of Spring and what's eventually to come and the sun is shining and all is good with the world.

Well, not everything. Just reading the newspapers is a scary event.  What with Hilary hiding e-mails, the violence continuing in Ferguson, ISIS spreading and destroying lives as well as precious artifacts, and next season may be the last for Downton Abbey, so no I guess everything is not right with the world.  It's difficult to think of all the bad things there are in this world, all the unfairness, all the diseases that are not curable, but dwelling on these fears is not good for our souls.  Many of you know that my husband's decline is what brought me to photography.  It gave me beauty when I was surrounded by grief and anger.  So I encourage you all to find something, someone, anything that takes away the fear and sadness in your life and replace that with something of beauty.

God has given us beauty, let us enjoy that beauty that surrounds us and try not to dwell on the ugliness in the world.  I don't know why I chose this subject to write on today, except perhaps after reading the newspaper this morning, which seemed to be exceptionally worrisome, I looked up and saw the daffodils that I bought yesterday that were nothing but tight little buds, now in full bloom and so cheery on the windowsill.  So my focus went from troubling to beauty in a turn of the head.

My trip to Arizona was filled with beauty everywhere I looked.  I probably have close to 1,000 shots taken while there.  This shot in particular caught my eye as Terri and I wandered the streets of the Barrio in Tucson.  Do you suppose the owner of this motorcycle bought this particular color with the BMW logo to match his house??  I choose to think he did.  And because it has a little fence separating the bike from the house I am joining Theresa at Good Fences and Kim at Little Things Thursday because daffodils after all are little.

"Surround yourself with people who make you a better person." ~ Unknown

Until next time.....

The Little Things

OK, so on Tuesday evening I text my granddaughter Bailey, (you know that is the only way to communicate with the younger crowd....an actual telephone is beyond their comprehension). She has been out of town on business for 4 weeks so haven't spent any girl time together and I knew she was on vacation this whole week.  Anyhoo my text said, "are you busy tomorrow? how about lunch and a drive in the country so Nana can shoot some countryside and barns in the snow? Sounds like fun...right??"  She text back.."yes,sounds like fun!".  Now I don't know if she really enjoys country drives, is humoring her Nana, or the sound of a free lunch was appealing.  I didn't care, I love spending time with her and I haven't been country driving at all since it snowed.

After we had our lunch, (Noodles) we were on our way.  It was cold, the wind was whipping, and the sky was totally without color, but I didn't care.  I was with my grand and on the road.  We ventured into territory neither one of us had ever been thru and along the way I found this....perfect for Theresa's Good Fences Thursday and Kim's Little Things Thursday.  After all it is those little things that truly count in our life.

And another one....

Added a texture to this one...

And then barns....probably a little bit breezy in this one.

And just about the time we were done for the day the sky began to brighten up a little..

It was a great day, well spent and now off to the movies with friends and bookclub this evening where we will be talking about "Orange Is The New Black".  Enjoy the rest of the week!!

"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." ~ Aaron Siskind

Until next time.....

Good Fences

"It doesn't really matter who we used to be,

What matters is who you've become."

~ Robert Tew

PS  Thank you so much for all the sweet comments about Matilda Mae....you will see her again soon.

Until next time.....

Don't Fence Me In....

The berries are hangin' on to the park fence....

The Sweet Autumn Clematis is thriving on the front fence....

And the Heliopsis (False Sunflower) is dyin' on the back fence....

Linking up with The Run Around Ranch's

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at it destination full of hope.”  ~  Maya Angelou

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.....

A Little of This n That....

My youngest grand, Brie, is headed off for her senior year of college.  OMG where in the world does the time go??  It wasn't but a couple three years ago I was enjoying her kindergarten picture. Now 21 years old, old enough to drink and vote both done responsibly I am hopin'.  

Spent her last day at home with her on Monday, seeing a movie (Lucy, interesting concept and definitely her choice) and enjoying dinner together before she headed to Iowa State on Tuesday morning. It will probably be October or maybe even November before I see her again. Insert sad face....  

On Monday, along with the movie we drove onto Northern Illinois University campus where both my daughter and son-in-law coach.  Lisa wanted me to see the statue that their dog MAC posed for, well MAC didn't exactly pose, the artist took pictures and then created the piece from the photos.  Quite impressive.  Just fyi, statue on left, real MAC on right.  

We also found out on Monday that Hilary is ready to deliver that new bundle of joy, my great granddaughter....notice I said my, at any hour any day.  Her body is in preparation mode.

On Sunday my friend Marti, along with her family went to a French Market event at one of our local parks.  There were......

Jugglers on stilts....

Musicians playing folk songs....

A lady that made just about anything out of balloons.......

Unfortunately, the balloon popped shortly after I took this pic, but not to worry, we found the face painter and that wiped away all the tears....

And Saturday I shot a wedding.....OMG was I nervous.  A great responsibility shooting a wedding, it's not like you can ask them to re-do those vows or re-do the rings.  But as I reviewed the almost 1,000 pics, I think they will be pleased.  This was the 2nd marriage for both so the bride decided to go bold and wear red.  Bet you don't see that too much.  She looked beautiful and you could see in her eyes, her smile, her giggles that she was estatic and look at that smile on the groom!!  My granddaughter, Bailey was with me the whole time... hauling my gear, holding the diffuser, giving me confidence, a blessing!!

Oops, almost forgot, need to add a pic of a fence for Good Fence Thursday over at TexWiseGirl's blog, The Run*around*Ranch .  Another goodie from my trip to Michigan.  My goodness those colors are vivid.  Does the sun shine differently there??

Tonight I am headed to bookclub where we will be discussing "The Girls from Atomic City".  Good non-fiction book, relating the story of the building of Oak Ridge, TN where the first atom bomb was built.  Fascinating....and I am not a fan of non-fiction but this did hold my interest.  Except ofcourse when the author would write about all the science stuff, I do believe my eyes would glaze over.  No physics classes for me, biology was the most advanced I managed.

OK that's it. I have rambled far too long.

Until next time....