Duchess' favorite pillow...

This cute little pilow was made for Isaac when he visits.  I have unusual pillows. Two are buckwheat hulls and one is a water pillow.  All difficult for a young child to use.  During one visit, we worked together to make a pilow just fo Isaac.  Well, Duchess found it and he must have smelled Isaac on it. Now she carts it all over the house and needs to use it when she takes her naps.

LOST!

Don't you hate it when you misplace something very obvious? Keys and remote controls are the two most common things. I don't lose common things. I lose BIG things. 

My clipper bag kept getting in the way. So I found it a new spot. Then I forgot until my boyfriend wanted his spring haircut. Panic! There are gone! I knew I used my thinning sheers last on my nephew (yes I have a cosmetology lisc.)  So here is part of the search. This was all texted...

"Did I bring my clippers up to your place and leave it? I can't find the blue bag and contents"

"No are we hiding from you"

"U r not at Dale's place or the last two places I used u. So where r u hiding?"

"I am thinking I am hiding in your bathroom or maybe your kitchen table"

"Bathroom checked...was double checking the kitchen table"

"Were you so tired you went into your living room and set me on your couch?"

"U sneaky little devil. U were hiding behind the broken pantry door on the floor of the pantry"

"Oh how did I get there? Were u trying to fix the pantry door with me?
Well I'm so tired from this game of hide and seek I am going to bed now :) thanks for making me smile."

"U were making your way to your new spot. Then the door broke and hid u. Goodnight."

"Wow I have a new spot I hope it has a nice soft pillow for me"

Found :^)

Finding lost things can be frustrating or fun. My sister and I like to make it fun. One of us always gets to be the other persons object. 

Country Cemetary

A wonderful place to play hide and seek for the two dobermans is the country cemetary.  Another favorite game is chase me. When I drove my errand and passed the turn off to the cemetary, I heard crying from the back seat.  When I was done and on the way back, I turned the corner. 

This time I immediately heard an excited bark, "Yes! Yes! Let me out. I wanna run!" I thought I was going to go deaf.

Storm effect

The heavy winds over the weekend.  Took their toll on this delicate flower.  Although still pretty, it is now twisted by the heavy blowing winds.  The storms of life may affect our lives but as they do we need to fight back and minimalize the effect they hve on us.

Thank you

To all the Veterans  and active men and women serving. We appreciate all you do and have done.   All gave some...some gave all!

Hummingbird Moth

It wasn't too long ago that I heard someone talk about a hummingbird moth.  I had never seen one before.  In fact, I didn't realize such a creature existed.  It was good that someone had randomly talked about them to me.  If not, I would not have figured out what I was looking at.  I saw a very definite moth body.  The wings were moving like a hummingbirds.  And it looked like the creature had a straw coming out of it's beak.  And my goodness, was it long!

I stood and watched for a few minutes as it went about it's business.  Then I realized that my phone wan't too far away.  So I carefully stepped away and when I came back I was glad to see that it was still there.  It suddenly became aware of me and I was only able to get one picture.  I stood very still but the flowers it chose were too far for a good picture.

As it flew away from the garden, I decided to go back to my weeding.

Perfect Saturday :^)

It rained most of the morning. So I had the perfect excuse to stay in my pj's and do some puttsy tasks while I took care of the hobbit.

I call my nephew a hobbit because for first breakfast he had a bagel with cream cheese, second breakfast was popcorn, mid morning snack was a kiwi and when his mother arrived at 11:50 he was immediately begging to stop on the way home for lunch because he was hungry. 

It has been raining so much lately that the weeds are growing fast.  They need to be attacked. There are also an excess of hollyhocks growing too close to the edge.  IF we get the warm weather and sunshine they are predicting for tomorow....watch out gardens!

Pride in Purple

Congratulations Class of 2012.  You make us so proud. It wasn't always easy but you made it to the end...or should I say the beginning. Let today always be "The First Day of The Rest of Your Life!"

Sorry for the low quality of pictures. To share my favorites I had to take a picture off the computer screen.  The gowns are purple not blue.

Beyond the Sky

From my earliest memories I can remember being fascinated wit the sky.  Laying on the ground watching the clouds change shape as they move across the sky.  Naming the shapes as they change. "Look at that rabbit chasing a dragon!" Only in the clouds could such sights be seen.  Sometimes we'd have contests to see who could spot the most creative scene.



The Witch has Lost Her Hat

 Maybe it is the artist in me, but I take a lot of pictures of the clouds.  Each one is so different in color and texture.  As the rains were breaking up from the last two days, I had to pull over and take these pictures.

 

Under the Waves

One of my favorite shows is the 2002 Sci-fi mini-series Taken.  In the show Allie Keys is reflecting and says

• "My mother always talked to me a lot about the sky. She liked to watch the clouds in the day, and the stars at night... especially the stars. We would play a game sometimes, a game called, what's beyond the sky. We would imagine darkness, or a blinding light, or something else that we didn't know how to name. But of course, that was just a game. There's nothing beyond the sky. The sky just is, and it goes on and on, and we'll play all of our games beneath it."

When I saw the view that I labeled 'under the waves', it made me think about this quote.  Almost like we are in bottom of the lake looking up.  Is this what the waves would look like to the fish?  Do the fish wonder, "What's beyond the waves?"  Then I thought of how sometimes when I walk by my Koi now alone in his fish tank, my sudden presence startles him and he jumps.  If the things beyond what we could see would suddenly become visible, would we become just as startled?

The Passage of Time

I graduated from college the spring of the year that my mother passed away.  I was in a degree completion program and working full time.  While in school I purchased the house next door from my Aunt and Uncle.  I was given a small evergreen tree from a very good friend as a graduation gift.  It was about the size of the small tree to the left.  That small tree is now the larger tree to the right.  (Planted 20 feet in from the corner of the property.)

Through the years I've moved too many times to count.  But any time I'd return to the family farm, I'd peek at the tree to see how it had grown and there it stands as a memory to a great task completed.  It also stands as a memory to the time that has passed since my mother passed away.  Though at times we don't know how it will...time always continues to pass.

I guess the real question is...."How will we allow the things going around us to affect us?  Will we let it stunt our growth or work as the nutrients needed to help us continue to grow?"

My Jenny's new adventure

"Grandpa, can we go out and play?"

"Let me put my shoes on and we'll find a special place."

 

What do you mean you can't put your shoes on while I'm sitting here?

"Hey Grandma! I get to drive Grandpa's car. Cool."

 

But I really want to drive.... please?!

 



"Let Grandpa drive.  He has a special place he is going to take you."

"Oh, we're going to my favorite place!" Duchess yalped from the back seat as she did dobie turns in the back seat of the car.

The stripes of freshly cut alphalpa

Out on the low maintenance road Grandma and Grandpa walked while Duchess and My Jenny explored.

"Jenny, this way." Mama Duchess said.

Mother and Daugther explore together

"Hey look what I found!" Jenny yelled from beside the road.

So many more interesting things in the road ditch out here than in town.

Grandma stopped periodically offering the girls water. When they got back to the car, Jenny crawled into Grandma's arms and immediately fell asleep.

The effects of fresh air

Mama Duchess on the other hand continued to do dobie turns in the back seat watching for oncoming cars..

car..car..car..ooo BIG truck let me at it!





Sunrise - Sunset

The most beautiful sunrises and sunsets occur around the storms.  Just like when turmoil stirs in our life.  It may not be very pretty or feel very good when everything is going wrong.  But when the storm is past and the light begins to shine again, the light will radiate beautiful awesome colors depending on the storm around it. 

When one lone rain cloud passes by, the light reflects off the rain in a rainbow.  When a bigger, darker cloud breaks apart you will see brilliant vibrant and dramatic colors. 

BUT WAIT!  ..... in a matter of seconds the colors will change.  Time passes and the sun fades while the storm moves in the opposite direction and soon all memory of the storm will be broken and the truth of what was will be changed.  In the changing colors of time, look for the beauty.

The Eye of God

Doesn't this remind you of the all seeing eye in the movie "Lord of the Rings"?  Instead of seeing it as an evil eye, I choose to see it at God's eye watching over us finding ways to keep us safe.


Streets of Gold

The sun has set a little more here and the clouds are separating in the winds.  It makes me think that we are being given a peek into Heaven.  Look up at the streets of Gold. 

So you heard about the rich man who amassed huge amounts of gold on earth?  He found a way to "take it with him". As he met Peter at the Pearly gates, Peter asked him "Did you come to repair the road?" 
"No why?"
"Why else would you bring gold to heaven?"

Puppy Kisses bring happiness

On our way home we stopped by Uncle Bill and Aunt Katies house for a short visit.  Katie hadn't met the new puppy yet.  It was love at first sight!

Katie made sure that My Jenny got plenty of nana kisses and My Jenny in turn shared puppy kisses. (The cats hid.)

Ring of Fire

Thanks to my sister, Tabatha for allowing me to share the wonderful pictures she captured of the Solar Eclipse last night.  Her brassy sister (me) called her about 15 minutes before the start of the eclipse to make sure that she was ready to at least try to take pictures. 

I had my camera with my 200mm lens prepped and ready to go.  She has a better lens than I do with a better zoom and a light filter.  My pictures turned out as blobs of light adding extra light as if the sun were a top spinning in the sky. 

I learned a lot about the setting on my camera, as I played around with some of the aperture settings and speed settings that I haven't found the need to use yet with the camera.  Nothing helped my exposures.  It was one time I wish I had my old SLR camera.  I have several filters that would have been beneficial.  I am sad to say that those filters don't fit on my SLR digital lenses.  Bummer.  In fact, I have a 1000MM lens and a doubler for that old camera and there are no adapters to fit the film camera lenses on the digital camera.  (I was told once that a man was working on it.  The problem was the cost would be so great that it would be better just to buy the digital lens.)

I was surprised to see that I was alone at both places that I was taking pictures.  (Except for my boyfriend at the first location.  I dropped him and the dogs off at home when they got bored.) The timing worked out perfect for a move because the sun was starting to fall below the trees.  And it was such a beautiful sight.  I figured out that I could turn the vehicle with the back facing the sun and set the rear view mirror in the reflector mode and watch a clear image without hurting my eyes.  When there is a will, there is a way. :^D

Photo by Tabatha N

Photo by Tabatha N

Photo by Tabatha N

The garden is growing...the rain came in time

I've been trying not water the garden this early in the season.  We planted a few more plants yesterday and the new plants were watered.  As the storms went around us, I was afraid that I would need to water.  But through the night we were blessed with 1.5 inches of rain.

How does our garden grow?? With potatoes, kohlorabi, radishes, green beans, yellow beans, peas, lettuce, peppers (not mine), beets, zucchini, birdhouse gourds, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, rhubarb, onions, garlic, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and marigolds (to help keep the rabbits out). I don't think I missed listing anything. 

We had two rows of rhubarb but we bought sweet (red) seeds and decided to try to get some growing from seeds. The package bragged that we could begin harvesting 50 days after planting. Hmm. Anytime I've bought roots or split a plant, the first year you don't harvest and the second year you only harvest part. This is going to be something to watch.

At a different location there are acorn squash and buttercup squash.

Waiting to be planted are four tomato plants and pumpkins.

Almost Done with one part

I took Friday afternoon off to get as much of the garden project done as I could before the rain hit. We got between seven tenths and an inch Friday evening.  Just enough to settle the dust. 

By the time I got up in the morning, the dirt was just right for working with.  This morning Dale came over and helped until wegot to the point where I needed to level the blocks and turn the corner.  Thank goodness both that he had his morning open and his afternoon booked.  I love my man <3 !

There are times I need help and times that I need to work alone. Sometimes the difficult thing is recognizing when each is appropriate then making it happen. 

I need to find a block cutter that will cut this style of poured blocks.  Once the final corner and end pieces are cut, it will be done.  Left to do is have the wooden steps built and pour the walkway stones.

So proud of you!

Isaac we're so Pround of you.

The gym was filled with siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.  All filled with pride as their child's class was up front singing at the top of their lungs.  The teacher pulled together over a dozen baseball songs and poems.  Each class sang 3 - 4 songs.

I made the video open to the public.  So hopefully this link will work for you.  I may be a bit prejudiced but Isaac's performance was spectacular!  :^) http://www.facebook.com/trisha.field.7






Oh my deer

I tease my Father that his name is "Mr.Gypsy Feet".  He loves to travel.  Whenever he calls my first question usually is "Where are you now?" So hearing he hit a deer brought the thought to my mind "wow...in all his driving this was his first deer strike." Then came the real quesions, "how is everyone" and "how much damage was done?" 

The ambulance was called, Pat was in the back seat by where the deer hit the hardest.  Her elbow is sore but okay.

The deer came out of nowhere.  The head of deer hit the front door and it's butt swung around and smashed into the back door. The doors still work but they look a bit scarey!

New definition of J-walking

I heard on the radio that there is an increased number of people who walk and text that are getting in major accidents. One example that they quoted was falling down a manhole. I suppose walking into a parked car, tree or fence is also a possibility.  I didn't here where (sorry) but police are beginning to use J-walking laws to give people tickets for walking while texting.  Others are simply giving people tickets for "careless walking."

According to Ask Yahoo J-walking comes from a slang.  In the early 1900's a "jay" was a person that was a hick, rube, or simpleton.  A person that was not accustomed to walking around the new invention of "cars".  A jaywalker was a newcomer to the city, green to the ways of those modern traffic signals that told folks when they could safely cross the road.

The new version of J-walker will be a person walking - anywhere with a cell phone in hand and typing ...from hick to over-tech.

Just plain adorable...

Dale was up and gone fishing early in the morning.  Before heading to work, I stopped by his place to let them out for a potty break. But as I walked in, My Jenny was laying in an odd place on the dog bed.  I wondered if they had been sleeping together on the bed.

After running outside for a couple of minutes,  they quickly settled back onto the bed together.  They are so adorable. I normally kennel the three month old puppy when I leave. But today I'l close off the doors to the other rooms and leave her out. 

Her potty training has been going well. So with Dale's approval, today will be a test.

Remember this sign?

It is about faith. Faith of the American Indians.  A group is making a community garden to commemorate a 150th anniversary of a tragic event. It is also about organic farming and giving people in town who don't have a garden area a place to grow a small plot.  They are hoping families with children will register for a plot or a portion of a plot. Check out their facebook page!

Facebook.com/plantpeace