Emd of summer

We had a bit of a moon the other night so I thought I'd take a picture of it.   Our skies are usually foggy so the stars and the moon are a sight to see and I would love a period of time for them to just stay in my sight.   There is a bit of peace and serenity to this picture.  I often talk about the little budgie birds that sit on the wire over the yard and here is a good picture of it.   They line up on the line and wait patiently for me to put some bird food in the feeder but wont fly down until I disappear.  I had hopes of catching some of them sitting around waiting but so far they prove to be a lot smarter than I am.    

The other day I blogged about the yellow grass, well here it is in all its glory.   The bushes are getting a clipping soon.  Chon has not been by as his truck broke down and he knows when he gets to this yard the black bags of clippings are at the ready and he hauls them away.  The honeysuckle on the fence is beginning to look reedy and yellow so it is fading away showing signs of Fall. When we first moved into this house that bush was over the railing of the back porch and was so thick and wild it was unbelievable.  It took some doing to cut it all down and then I got the bright idea to put it over in the corner and hopefully have it grow all along the fence.   As you can see it grew but not very big and I don't think I'll be around to see it cover the fence if it grows as slow as it has been doing.  Of course if I quit clipping it might help things along.

So today, having heard from this master gardener, you know exactly what not to do.   We do have a lot of spiders and big webs this year, isn't that a sign of a hard winter?   I think so.   Well, everyone needs a friend to remind them of the upcoming weather that will keep us close to the fire place . . . wish I had one . . . so find yourself a cozy warm place today and stay there . . . or, if you are lucky and can have a day out to have some fun like I did yesterday, then go for it . . . make your seconds bounce off the life time clock like they know what they are doing.   A reasonable snicker, a guffaw, a smile all help to make your world go around. Hugs to all.

Wow!

I had an e mail this morning with pictures of storms and a story about Noah trying to build the Ark in today's world.  It was funny in that he couldn't get anything done with all of the restrictions and agencies he couldn't get passed.    It would have been funny if it wasn't so true.   But . . . the pictures, and there many more, were beautiful and I thought I'd share them with you this morning.

I am getting a late start.  I actually slept in and that in itself is nothing short of a miracle.    I can't stay long chatting with you this morning as I am going OUT. . . yes, out of the neighborhood, away to the big city of Crescent City with Marcia in her new van.    We are shopping today and of course having lunch out.   Boy, I've missed my daughter Patricia this past week and a half, but there is a light in the sky after all as she and Christine come tootling along the highway and home.   I'm not sure who is going to be the happiest . . . yes, I do . . . Emma who has been cooped up without her big yard to play in.  She is going to be one happy dog.  

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date, so I'll catch up with you tomorrow.    Make sure you have a good day today, all day, it's hump day and that should make you smile.    Enjoy the seconds, make them count, and wish me luck as there is a casino over there and it would be hard to pass by without playing at least one challenging game with Tarzan of the Apes.    I'm off . . . but you already knew that!   Hugs to all

Solitare

I play solitare frequently and have been trying for over two years to win a game.  It has been illusive and sometimes downright madening when you think you are on the right track and find that it is one more time that the machine beats you.  I should be used to that as I played poker on the casino machines for years and it was rare to win, but once in a blue moon I did, and believe it or not, I finally won a game of solitare and took a picture to prove it.  Of course that was a month or so ago and I had forgotten all about the picture until I went sleuthing for a picture for the blog this morning.  There is was and here it is....my win....haven't done it again and it may take another year or two but half of the fun is in the trying.  

On a recent ride along the highway I took this picture out of a car window and it reminded me of the grass in my back yard, although the grass in my back yard is no where as thick and dense as this hillside.   It does have the same color though and browns, tans and yellows are in season and all I can think to do with it is to tear it up and cement in the yard area . . . but then that wouldn't work as the weeds would grow between the seams of the cement and there I would be with one more thing to complain about.     It would be nice to have  a man around the place . . . yeah, I'm humming again . . . old friends, Hobie and Clarence, and Pa would be the ones to invite into my yard but they are tending the Garden Gates and didn't leave instructions behind.    How come some of us are born with purple thumbs while others have those wonderful green thumbs and can grow anything including lush green grass.    Oh well, it does have a bit of beauty all its own.

So today, it's Tuesday all day, if you are bored and have nothing to do, go out into the garage, or the shed, and find yourselves some garden tools and get busy.    Mow the grass even though it is not a luscious green.   Give it a good sprinkle and let it soak in . . . aha, that is what is missing from my garden duties, I'm trying to save on water and have found a way to colorless grass . . . didn't think I knew how, did you?   Don't forget to pull up those dandelions which are spreading as their yellow heads reach up and out to the prevailing winds.   I have some at least a foot high and multiplying.    Give it a treat or a treatment and I do know that humming helps.   Lighten the load you are carrying and chase a butterfly even if you do not have a net . . . it is good for a laugh and you know what laughter does for us.    Seconds are important, use them as if they were treasures, come to think of it they are.   Hugs to all.

Stations

The Last Supper

 Pilate washes his hands.

The Crucifixion

Compassion

Although I go over to the Star of the Sea Catholic church and light my candles for each and every one of us, I have never taken the time to go around to the Stations of the Cross.  They are beautiful and deserve a little of my time but I choose to sit in the back seat of the church and look around, not a soul in sight, not one person in the church, just silence.   I remember so many times, especially during Holy Week, attending the service and listening to the priest relate the story of the crucifixion.     There is something to be said about the silence and the feeling of peace and serenity and I find that I don't mind that not another person is there.  I look around and remember the years of going to the small chapel on the school grounds, or climbing the stairs to the big altar in the upper part of our church . . . or going into the lower area where it was dark and quiet just like this little church here, by the sea.   The e-mail that came in yesterday had many more pictures of the incredible display sculptured in metal by a man near Amarillo, Texas.  This man did all of this remarkable work out of the kindness of his heart and the land was donated by someone who appreciated his talent and gifted all of us.    It could be the very last surviving Christian symbol in the country.   Some people want God, prayer, our flag, patriotism and all we hold dear and true to be gone . . . not when we have folks like this around and we have the courage of our own convictions.   As the words were written in the article "Everybody knows His name.  He won no battles.   He conquered the world.  He committed no crimes, yet was crucified.  He was buried in a tomb, yet lives."     

So today, take a few of your seconds and stop and think about Stations of the Cross.  Maybe you might stop into a church and just walk around and say a short prayer for every one of us . . . we all need it.   It is Monday, the start of your new week . . . plot and plan what you want to accomplish this week and do it.  In the realm of living we visit the sick, bury the dead, and strive to be the best we can be . . . a little praying will not hurt one bit.    So as the saying goes . . . "Go With God" and have a miraculous day.   Hugs to all. 

Storm Clouds in Arizona

For a minute, when I looked at the pictures Bob and Andrea sent from Arizona, I thought there was a tornado on its way, but it was a real true thunder storm with all the lightening flashes that brought them out to watch the skies tell a story all its own.    Storms can be so exciting but also very fearful.  I was very happy to hear they enjoyed watching the storm but also that they were alive and well.    It only takes one bolt from the blue, so be careful out there.   Our storms seem to be getting more furious as they come by.

This one reminds me of a tornado in the making, ready to set down and do a little mischief, but it was just more of the thunder and lightening that dropped a drip or two on the desert floor.  They do have a lot of flash flooding in Arizona.    I remember driving wheel high through some of the deep water on the highway.

This picture symbolizes friendship, beauty, a peaceful moment with friends watching the sunset over the water.     Of course my sense of fun came into play as I thought of a few of us octogenarians finding our way down to the end of the pier and sitting down . . . but who would help us up?   

So today, it is Sunday all day.    The week has gone by slowly as my chauffeur was not around to drive me around.  I did fine though as my neighbor was more than willing to pitch hit and we had a couple of outings that were fun.    La Verne is a great neighbor who keeps an eye on me.   She and I have developed a good neighbor policy and we do not overstep our bounds but appreciate our friendship and enjoy the fruits of being a good neighbor.   Today she is baking a tart lemon pie and I have been promised a piece of it.  She was going to bake it three days ago but one thing or another got in the way, but today is the day, and my taste buds are at the ready.  I love tart lemon pie.   I shared some of those special pecans I received from Bob and Andrea . . . delicious!   If you have a good neighbor, or even a not so good one, take a moment out to appreciate them, share a dish or a desert and keep harmony and peace in your life.    A hug is good.   Enjoy your Sunday, all day, as it will go by faster than you can imagine and it will be a new work week starting for some and a busy week puttering for others.   Enjoy the seconds that make minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years as you will one day look back and wonder where all those seconds disappeared to . . . long gone leaving a history to be proud of.   Hugs to all.

Phonics

Good morning.   Here is a picture of a raving beauty that came in on an e-mail telling the story of pre-school teacher trying to teach the little ones all about animals.   When she asked if anyone knew what this creature was, one of the youngsters put up his hand and said "it's a frickin' elephant" and when she looked at the words under the picture it said "African Elephant",  she knew she would be 'hooked on phonics' for the rest of the school year. Sad there were not more pictures and stories as I bet the children came up with some delightful names for the animals.

My friend Angie has been having a wonderful summer finding different spots to visit.   It looks like she found a perfect spot for fishing and hiking.    It reminded me a little of the jig saw puzzle I have on my dining room table.   It is a slow progression of patience and fortitude as I am sure friend Bob has some of the pieces in his pocket.     The puzzle has more mountains in the background so my sense of the familiar is the blue of the water which is the color of the sky in the puzzle, come to think of it . . . it doesn't look like it at all, so when and if it is finished I will take a picture of it and show you how much patience I really have....or not.

So today, the beginning of your weekend off, find something to do to relax.  Grab your book and find a chair outside in your yard and read, ignore the leaves that are falling and hope the grass will turn green again.  Yellow is a nice color but it really reminds me of straw these days as the summer heat turned the little blades of grass into what looks more like a hay field.    You worked hard all week so try and ignore the chores that are begging for attention.  Make up your mind to vegitate this one weekend and catch up with yourself.   You deserve a break and all the chores will wait patiently for you to 'get off your duff' and do them....next weekend.   Your relaxation is important as it build stamina for those never ending chores that pile up in anticipation of your new spurt of energy.    Just know they are not going anywhere without you.   Have a weekend off and enjoy your seconds.   Hugs to all. 

Beauty and. . .

Good morning, Bob and Andrea were out watching the sunset and you know they never go far without a camera.  They sent us a lovely picture of the sun setting making me wish we were there to enjoy it and them.   Picture taking reminds me that yesterday La Verne and I went off to lunch and then we rode over to the Indian land where the road leads down to the ocean to a place where the sea lions love to bask on a small island off shore.   La Verne had some binoculars with her so we got to see some very strange and huge birds.   We have no idea what they are but I can tell you there were hundreds of them and they were the size of an ostrich with a wing span of at least four feet.   They were playing in the water, while so many of them just laid around with a bird with spread wings standing on either side, almost as if it were guarding the flock.     I wish I knew what they are.  I've never seen them before.  There was not one sea lion around which seemed very strange.

Well there are more than one way to 'skin a cat' as the old adage goes.   Some ingenious person needed a holder for a drink so came up with a roll of tape.   Not a bad idea.

I never thought of doing this,  I don't think our Fred Meyer's store folks would be happy if we all walked home with a wire basket.   But it does give one an idea if one should want a cook out and needs a 'cooker'.

This one is kind of down right 'stupid' . . . some one has a sense of humor.  

So today, Friday, get ready for your weekend.   Sometimes it scares me when I write a daily blog and find out I am writing about a new weekend coming up when it seems I just wrote those same words seconds ago.   Time flies so fast showing us the seasons changing and our Fall weather is coming along with the leaves falling from the trees making work for all of us as we get out the rake.
Leaves
Crunching, crispy, wind blown leaves/reds with browns and greens/huddled on the sidewalks/waiting for a breeze.
The inner eye, the child's eye/remembers days of yore/when walking off to school/we kicked them to and fro/making noises as we'd go.
Laughter filled the air/the leaves so very light/scattered with our kicks/as they took a long, long flight.
We hurried home to find the rake/and make huge piles of leaves/built so high they couldn't fly/until we jumped right in/chasing them back to their ground/only to rake again.
Crunching, crispy, wind blown leaves/revives the memory/as I walked along the street/kicking leaves aside/smiling, grinning,feeling good/as the leaves went sailing by.

Go, make a memory today and find reasons to smile.     And, on the other side of our coin, take time to say a prayer for all of the folks in our land who are in shock over the loss of everything they own either by flood or fire.   Hearts are broken, tears are shed, but we are a resilient people and as hard as it is 'things' can be replaced in time and the memories of of what used to be stay within .  Remember to be generous . . . Hugs to all.