Remembrances of An Arkansas Stamper

I'm Not Really a Waitress

2012-01-02T17:13:00.001-06:00

Last September, before a road trip to my daughter's home in Nebraska, I treated myself to a pedicure and manicure. Since I felt quite daring on that particular day, I let the technician paint my toenails with red polish, but had her put only clear polish on my fingernails. The colored polish must have been stout stuff, for it lasted over 90 days with nary a chip. However, as my toenails grew, a sizeable gap appeared between the bottom edge of the polish and the base of my nail. (Who cares? Only the cats and I see my toes.) More importantly, even though they grow slowly, my nails needed to be trimmed. Due to stiffening joints which do not want to cooperate in the task of bringing toes to hands, or vice versa, I can no longer perform that trivial duty for myself. It was time for a visit to the nail salon.

I had intended to get only a pedicure, since attending to my fingernails is something I can still do for myself. However, after the polish had been applied to my wonderfully soothed and well-groomed tootsies, I inquired as to the color name of the polish, a brazen, slightly glittery, deep red, the same color that had been applied in September. I was so taken by the color name, which accurately reflects my (high) spirits today, that I decided to have a manicure, as well, and to have the same color applied to my fingernails (photo above. Ignore those gnarly fingers and just look at that color!)

The company which produces this product must have a staff of slightly wacky, but highly creative, employees on its staff. When I was working, I frequently had manicures and was always amused by the color names of their polish, such as: Blushingham Palace; Catherine the Grape; Cozu-Melted in the Sun; Kennebunk-port; Melon of Troy; Romeo & Joliet; Silent Mauvie; Smok'n in Havana (one of my favorite colors); St. Petersburgundy; You Rock-apulco Red; and... today's color choice: I'm Not Really a Waitress. Love those names!

The next few days will tell if this polish is really tough. Of course, if I had used my toes as much as I did my fingers during the last three months, the previous application of polish on my toenails probably wouldn't have lasted very long. We'll see. Right now, I have sparkling fingers and toes!

Tomorrow is also a day.

P.S. I know it's already January 2, but "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" to you all.

1999 Books Read - Last Installment!

2011-12-28T20:15:00.001-06:00

The last day of 2011 is almost upon me, and I have recorded neither November nor December books read in 1999. I am a procrastinator, I admit, but had I not so rudely interrupted myself for the last three months with things other than blogging, I already would have been finished with the (seemingly interminable) list of books I read in 1999.

Fear not; the list is not long. As I have written previously, I was a voracious reader until I discovered rubber stamping in September that year. The number of books read in a month declined precipitously from there on.

Without further ado:

November -

China Trade - S.J. Rozan

Concourse - S.J. Rozan

Mandarin Plaid - S.J. Rozan

Payment in Blood - Elizabeth George

Well Schooled in Murder - Elizabeth George

A Suitable Vengance - Elizabeth George

Rewrites (audio) - Neil Simon

Catnap - Carole Nelson Douglas

Brewing Up a Storm - Emma Lathen

December -

Dakota - Kathleen Norris

The Cloister Walk - Kathleen Norris

Amazing Grace - Kathleen Norris

At least I finished the year with something other than murder mysteries. If you are interested in things of a spiritual nature, I recommend Kathleen Norris' work to you.

THE END!

Back later with different stuff. Tomorrow is also a day!

Happy Christmas to All

2011-12-24T12:45:00.000-06:00

My Christmas cards have been designed, created, and mailed.

The gifts I am giving to family and friends are wrapped. Those that needed to be mailed to far away places have been sent -- on time!

The house smells like Snickerdoodles and Oatmeal, Cranberry, Walnut cookies that have just come out of the oven. As soon as they are cool, they will be packaged into hand-decorated bags for delivery to my close neighbors this afternoon.

A special Black Forest Cake for my Good Neighbor will be in the oven in a few minutes, and will be cooled, decorated and ready to deliver before suppertime.

At church, all the brass and silver has been polished, the Christmas frontal and other special hangings have been placed. The area behind and around the altar has been decorated with white and red poinsettias, small rosemary trees and even a couple of small fir trees (sans bells and trinkets). The window sills are dressed with tiny pine wreaths and candles, and beautiful. large wreaths are hung on all the outside doors. The nativity scene is set up, ready to receive the baby Jesus during the Christmas Eve service. It's all beautiful.

I'm happy and content.

My wish for all of you is a Blessed and Happy Christmastide. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Please remember --

The Work of Christmas

When the song of the Angel is stilled,

When the Star in the sky is gone,

When the Kings and princes are home,

When the Shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To Find the lost - To Heal the Broken - To Feed the hungry -

To Release the prisoner - To Rebuild the nations -

To bring Peace among brothers and sisters -

To make music in the Heart.

- Howard Thurman

Sunday Serenity - Psalms 23 (Goodall)

2011-11-20T06:56:00.000-06:00

Books - October, 1999

2011-10-31T18:19:00.001-05:00

I've been away, both physically and mentally, for about six weeks. Not only have I not posted, I haven't done my usual and pleasurable visiting of others' blogs. My apologies to my friends; I've not forgotten you but, perhaps worse, neglected you. I would like to say that I'll change my ways immediately, but that would be more of a wish than an actuality. I will say that I'll try to be back on a regular schedule as soon as I can.

This post will finish 10/12ths of the (seemingly) interminable list of books I read during 1999. Aren't you glad the year is almost over?

I must have had some time on my hands that month, as I count 17 books and 1 book-on-tape on my list. You may be relieved to learn ahead of time that the list drops off significantly, with only twelve books read during the remainder of that year. I didn't keep reading records after that, so you'll be seeing no more similar posts.

Dover Clip Art

Without further ado:

Watchers - Dean Koontz
Last Days of Summer - Steve Kluger
Thrones, Dominations - Dorothy Sayers & Jill Paton Walsh
Murder at St. Adelaide's - Gerelyn Hollingsworth
Murder & Other Acts of Literature - an anthology
The Sixteen Pleasures - Robert Hellenga
Candle for a Corpse - Ann Granger
Murder at the Watergate - Margaret Truman
Dr. Nightingale Comes Home - Adamson
So Faux, So Good - Tamar Myers
Quaker Testimony - Irene Allen
Murder Among Us - Ann Granger
Dead Over Heels- Charlaine Harris
Biggie and the Mangled Mortician - Nancy Bell
The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shreve
Lucy - Jamaica Kincaid
A Torrid Piece of Murder - C.F. Roe
ICON - (audio) - Frederick Forsyth, read by Stephen Lang

Links lead to Amazon.com, with which company I have no relationship other than as a customer.

Tomorrow is also a day. Thanks be to God.

Books and More Books - September, 1999

2011-09-18T20:12:00.000-05:00

I've been so busy with "card stuff" and church duties that I failed to post my regular installment of books read in 1999. Having somewhat of a breather this evening, I decided I'd better get with the program before the month is over.

The Zero Hour - Joseph Finder
Something To Kill For - Susan Holtzer
Curly Smoke - Susan Holtzer
The Dancing Floor - Barbara Michaels
The Bestseller - Olivia Goldsmith (not actually read, this was a book on tape)
The Face Changers - Thomas Perry
The Coffin Dancer - Jeffrey Deaver
Murder Must Wait - Arthur W. Upfield (one of the numerous Detective Napolean Bonaparte ("Bony") series set in Australia. "Bony" is half English, half Aborigine, and a very clever fellow)
Rattlesnake Crossing - J. A. Jance (A Joanna Brady mystery)
Bleeding Maize & Blue - Susan Holtzer

It was a treat to remember many of the plots, if not the fine details of most of these books. I was (and still am) a fan of the "Bony" mysteries. Looking at the long list of Upfield books while I was copying the link to this particular book made me want to read them all again. Perhaps I shall do so, one of these days.

All links lead to amazon.com, with which company I am associated only as a customer.

I'm currently reading (on Kindle) Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart. This came recommended by Arkansas Patti of The New Sixty and I'm really enjoying it.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Bits and Pieces

2011-09-10T09:58:00.002-05:00

The early morning air is humming with the sounds of lawnmowers as neighbors take advantage of the still-under-sixty-degrees weather. The cats have found a warm spot on my small patio and are stretched out, getting their daily dose of sunshine. I leave the doors into the house ajar so that they can flee to safety when startled by the bark of the neighbors' dogs.

We've had a lovely weather week, with morning temperatures ranging from the high forties to low fifties. The humidity is low and it's a pleasure to be outside. I need to enjoy this break in the weather while it's here; while we've had highs only in the low 80's for the last few days, a warming (or should I say "hotting") trend is on the way, and central Arkansas will be back into more seasonal weather all too soon.

* * *

While I should have been outside more during the wonderful weather, I've been doing other things, indoors. My stamping buddy and I will host a Stamp Camp on Sept. 16. I designed three cards and cut and packaged materials for twenty of each. I'm also leading the make and take sessions at two other stamping groups, one on Saturday the 17th and the other on Monday the 19th . I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess! While we have several Stamp Camps during a year, I teach only once a year for the other groups. I usually select September as my teaching months, since it's easy to remember that my responsibilities fall around birthday time.

* * *

I have four wonderful children, three daughters and one son. Son and two daughters have lived within a few miles of me for many years, while youngest daughter has roamed the world with the U.S. Air Force until her retirement to Nebraska two years ago. Son has recently accepted an excellent job in a small southeastern Kansas town about 5 hours away. He and his wife have purchased a lovely older home there, and are in the process of moving their household goods. Daughter-in-law has stayed here to cope with packing and real estate agents and the like, and Son comes back to Arkansas on weekends to help with the heavy stuff. To their delight, even in a very slow real estate market, their Arkansas home has sold, and they will vacate the premises by month end. I'm looking forward to visiting them in their new digs, but will miss having them close by.

* * *

I marked the milestone of yet another birthday this past week. My natal anniversary falls on Labor Day every few years, and this was one of them. The whole nation took a holiday to help me celebrate Ha ha! I had a lovely dinner with my children on Sunday night, followed by a quiet Labor Day/Birthday with absolutely no hoop-la -- my kind of day. I even got in an afternoon nap. The evening brought a small gathering of my closest friends. One of the ladies also has a September birthday, the day before mine, and we have a joint celebration. We enjoyed a good visit, exchanged gifts (with the other birthday girl and I on the receiving end of gifts from the others). We also shared a delicious cake that has become "our" birthday cake. The cake, called "Summer Fruit Tart," is made by Silvek's European Bakery in Little Rock (look here for a photo of our cake and other delicious treats they prepare), and it's been our birthday treat for the last four or five years. Birthdays do have some nice things about them.

* * *

When not doing card stuff, I've been reading. Light reading only; I'm not up to material that requires a lot of brain power to digest. I'm finally comfortable with my Kindle, and have read seven books in the last ten days, four of them, by the same author, in two days. If you're interested, the seven "cozy" books I read were by authors Robert Spiller and Judy Christie, and are listed in "Books Read in 2011" on my sidebar. Other than tiring my aging eyes a bit, I've thoroughly enjoyed the quietness of entertainment that doesn't require sound. I had been watching far too much television.

* * *

Speaking of TV's -- my Gardening Daughter's husband gifted me with a huge surprise for my birthday, a new-to-me wide screen HD TV! He's a "latest and greatest" techie and a big time movie buff, and recently acquired one of the 3-D televisions. Having no room in their home for another wide-screen TV, something had to go, and the sweet boy was kind enough to replace my old, beginning-to-get-fuzzy television.. The television set that used to be in their living room is now in my living room. I'm still getting used to being able to read all the fine print on the commercials! Gardening Daughter assures me that it was entirely his idea to pass the still good-as-new TV on to me, and he delivered and set up the unit (and a new DVD player) while I was away from home for a day.

Guess that's about it.

Tomorrow is also a day.

New Blooms

2011-08-30T14:49:00.000-05:00

Sweet Autumn Clematis

Imagine, if you will, opening your front door and walking into air heavily laden with the scent of sweet honey. That's what it's like at my house these days. Sweet Autumn Clematis, which is twined around the three columns that support the small section of the roof that shelters my front entryway, is in full bloom. The blossoms are small, about 1.5 to 2 inches across, but full of fragrance, and there are thousands of them on the three vines.

Although I didn't capture any bees in these photos, I do have to be on the lookout for them when I bury my nose into a clump of blossoms.

I don't recall when I first discovered this late-summer blooming vine, but several years ago I started with one vine, which I planted on a trellis outside one of my bedroom windows. Autumn Clematis is evidently a good self-seeder, as the three vines now gracing my front walk were all 'volunteers' which I discovered in various parts of the yard. The oldest plant (the one pictured) is on the northwest corner of the little porch, and gets the most sunshine, making it, so far, the heaviest bloomer. I've also treated the volunteer plants as pass-along plants, and several of my friends are, I hope, currently enjoying the blooms on their own plants.

I always look forward to having these sweet blooms outside my window and door. Next spring, I'm going to be on the lookout for some more 'volunteers.' Methinks that some portions of my chain link fence in my back yard would be improved by planting some vines at the base.

* * *

I hope all my blog buddies are well, and escaped any damage from Hurricane Irene. I've been saddened to see the destruction left in its wake.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Delighted

2011-08-17T12:25:00.000-05:00

Today is Gardening Daughter's oldest daughter's birthday. She's twenty-three years old -- not a child any more; in fact, she has a beautiful 2 year old daughter of her own.

Of course, I made her a birthday card. That's what I do. I hasten to say that the butterfly images are not "stamped" but were already printed on some lovely papers I acquired at the local scrapbook store. For those who might be interested, the paper patterns are from the "Gabriella" collection by Bo-Bunny.

While I don't often blog about the cards I make, I was pleased with how this one turned out, and since she doesn't read my blog, she won't see her card until I give it to her this evening.

This is what it looks like when it's closed:

When it's partially opened:

Fully open:

I hope she likes it.

* * *

Did you hear about the electrician who lost all his incandescent bulbs? He was delighted.

Tomorrow is also a day

Hooray!

2011-08-16T07:33:00.001-05:00

lycoris squamigera

It's a lovely, lovely morning here. At sunrise, the temperature was 68 degrees; the wonderful coolness makes it pleasant to be outside. I thoroughly enjoyed sitting at the table on my little patio while I drank my first cup of coffee and watched the cats stalk imaginary (or real) creepy crawlies in the grass.

Today is going to be a mowing day. The much appreciated rain that we received last week, a total of five inches, has caused the grass/weeds in my yard to grow with abandon. If I don't cut it soon, one of those threatening letters from the city fathers will show up in my mail box. Yarrrgh!

The lycoris squamigera , otherwise known as Naked Ladies, that I received two years ago from Carol and her husband (Coward's Corner with Luckie) have bloomed! I am tickled pink! (pun intended) Naked Ladies get their name from the fact that, at flowering time, the plants send up only a bloom stalk - no leaves. Each blossom-bearing stalk that you see in the photo above was, in April, preceded by the leaves of the plant, which emerge to gather energy for the bulbs from which the later flower shoots will emerge. Mother Nature has provided an unusual, but efficient, method for blessing our gardens twice.

Closer view of the blossoms

* * *

Did you hear about the chef who had to be fired after burglars took his stove? He had become deranged.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Books - August, 1999

2011-08-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Spoken Word - Robert R. Irvine
Barking Dogs - Robert R. Irvine
Staggerford - Jon Hassler
First Cases (an anthology) - editor Robert Randisi
The Seville Communion - Arturo Perez-Reverte
The Gifts of the Jews - Thomas Cahill
The Man Who Loved God - William X. Kienzle
Los Alamos - Joseph Kanon
The First Eagle - Tony Hillerman
Extraordinary Powers - Joseph Finder
The Bohemian Murders - Dianne Day
Emperor Norton's Ghost - Dianne Day
The Ape Who Guards the Balance - Elizabeth Peters

Provided links will lead to Amazon.com where you can find further information about the books, should you be interested.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Thank You, Lord, For the Rain

2011-08-09T08:29:00.001-05:00

Over 3 inches of liquid sunshine fell on my property between 6 p.m. yesterday and this morning. What a blessing!

Tomorrow is also a day.

On This Day

2011-08-02T19:36:00.000-05:00

Hailstones

(image from Internet, not my yard, thank goodness)

August 2, 1954

"Severe thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail for thirty minutes in north central Kansas. One drift measured 200 feet long, seventy feet wide and three feet deep. (The Weather Channel )"

I guess a Heat Index of 113 degrees, which is what it is at this writing, is not as bad a three feet of hailstones. Mother Nature loves variety, doesn't she?

The photo above, which I found on the Internet, and which is not of the above referenced hail storm, seemed to have had a somewhat cooling effect upon me, but I suspect that could have been due to my crunching on ice chips and sitting close to the air conditioning vent while I composed this post.

* * *

I sometimes am concerned about the cost of the water I keep putting on my flower beds, but an early morning glimpse of large butterflies feasting on my Lantana blooms made the drain on my wallet worth while. I couldn't get outside with the camera fast enough to catch them drinking the nectar, but it must have been tasty; one large one just about buried his/her head in one bloom. Maybe they'll visit again in the morning.

Tomorrow is also a day.

All's Well

2011-07-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

My sister has emailed me to complain that she is tired of looking at "Should I Be Worried?" when she visits my blog. I quote: "...people will be worried." I doubt that, but I apologize to my loyal readers who find nothing new when/if they visit.

All's well, here. I've simply been beset by ennui, due partly to the heat and partly to the lingering discomfort in my back. I have visited my physician who, after extensive tests to and upon my person, has declared that nothing is broken and that my problems are "age-related." I hate that! I don't mind 'getting older'; it's the getting 'old' that torques my jaws. I'll get over it -- one way or another, sooner or later.

On the plus side, during the hiatus I've read a couple of quirky mystery stories (a detective who is assisted by ghosts) that I downloaded onto my Kindle. I wouldn't want a steady diet of that sort, but they were enjoyable diversions.

I hope you all are well, and staying cool.

As my friend Suldog might say "Later, with better stuff."

Tomorrow is also a day.

Should I Be Worried?

2011-07-19T09:41:00.001-05:00

My eyes popped open from a good night's sleep and this crazy song was running through my head -- even before my feet hit the floor. I must have been singing it in a dream.

Singer: Georgia Gibbs, from YouTube

I've continued to sing the words I remembered for the last couple of hours (no, I don't remember all of them; this song was popular just after I graduated from high school-- a day or two ago.) The cats' food was dished up with a serenade of sorts. The back yard plants have been treated (?) to a "tweedle dee dee " along with their morning drink, and the deck was hosed down with an accompaniment of "gimmee, gimmee, gimmie all the love you got." If Squeak, Missy and Sweetie Pie could speak English, I'm sure they would be saying "Enough, already!"

Maybe the heat has finally fried my brain.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Books - July, 1999

2011-07-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

Dover clipart

Continuing with my monthly installment of books read in 1999:

Tears of the Moon - Di Morissey

The Alienist - Caleb Carr

1 Ragged Ridge Road - Leonard Foglia & David Adams Richards

The Chatham School Affair - Thomas H. Cook

Murder Makes Waves - Anne George

Murder Gets a Life - Anne George

Pillar of Fire - Robert R. Irvine

Called Home - Robert R. Irvine

Baptism for the Dead - Robert R. Irvine

Deal Breaker - Harlen Coben

Flight of Eagles - Jack Higgins

I'm currently reading from a number of Kindle books, sporadically and as I have an interest. I've been hopping between Dutch Fairy Tales for Young People; The Message: The Book of Proverbs (Eugene Peterson); The Bittermeads Mystery (Ernest Robertson Punshon); Murder in Passy (Cara Black); and The Mystery of the Big Ben (Fernando Trujillo).

Could it be that I have attention deficit disorder? Or, do I just seek variety?As usual, all links lead to Amazon.com.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Whew!

2011-07-11T17:46:00.000-05:00

You Tube

Miss Piggy and Kermit

I'm inside, and staying cool and, if it's a scorcher where you are, I hope you're staying cool, too.

Tomorrow (another hot one) is also a day.

Needs Must

2011-07-09T09:35:00.000-05:00

My mother used to say "needs must" quite often, and the phrase was added to my vocabulary as I grew older.

This morning was a 'needs must' morning. While there's been some improvement, I'm still hobbling around with a really sore back. Be that as it may, both front and rear yards had to be mowed; I don't need any more notes from the City Fathers. I had hoped that my Coast Guard grandson, who was here for a few days this past week, might have done that for me, but he spent most of his time with his sweet girlfriend. I don't blame him at all; given the choice, I'd much rather sit in a cool room and watch movies with my sweetie than to push a lawnmower in the heat.

I'm happy to say that it took me only 45 minutes to mow both front and back yards. Thank goodness for a self-propelled mower! The discomfort in my back doesn't seem any worse. Perhaps the heat and exercise was good for it.

After I've cooled down a bit, I will water the flower beds then put out the sprinklers. The ground is, again, incredibly dry. Our rainfall seems to be either feast or famine.

I've still to do the trimming around the edges, but ...

...tomorrow is also a day.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

2011-06-28T16:01:00.000-05:00

Just because the sun hasn't made an appearance today doesn't mean it hasn't been a glorious day; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As of this writing, we've had 2.5 inches of liquid sunshine since just after 8 a.m., and it's still raining. Yay!

After receiving only a drop or two (almost literally) of rain since the last week in May, this is a most welcome relief.

The temperature is currently 70 degrees F, very much unlike the almost 100 degrees F we sweltered under at this time yesterday.

Just about heavenly, it is.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Uh, Oh! Not Enough Research and Not Enough (Brain) Memory

2011-06-27T16:25:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, on the birthday of Charles Dickens, to be more precise, I posted a number of Dickens quotations that I had gathered from the Internet. One of those was:

"There either is or is not, that’s the way things are. The colour of the day. The way it felt to be a child. The saltwater on your sunburnt legs. Sometimes the water is yellow, sometimes it’s red. But what colour it may be in memory, depends on the day. I’m not going to tell you the story the way it happened. I’m going to tell it the way I remember it." ~ (Great Expectations)

I liked the last two sentences so much that I incorporated them into my blog header, with attribution to Charles Dickens.

Today, I received a comment on that February post. In it, the author inquired of the location (chapter) in Great Expectations containing that passage. Since I would like to reply to the commenter, I thought I would take a few minutes to look it up.

A few minutes? Ha! I have spent the goodly part of an afternoon looking for it. First, on the Internet, where I found the above quotation several times, each with attribution to Great Expectations. However, when I located a treasure trove of Dickens e-books which provided phrase search capability, the quotation was not to be found; not any of it. Searches on 'sunburnt legs', 'saltwater', 'the colour of the day', 'the way it felt to be a child', returned nada, zilch, zero, bumpkis.

I have the Dickens novel Great Expectations on my Kindle. Kindle has word search capability. Did I find any of it there? NO.

Ye gods and little fishes! What's going on? Evidently, my blog post distributed inaccurate information. But, if not Dickens, who wrote it?

Further research this afternoon has, I think, answered the question. The quotation is not from the pen of Charles Dickens, but from a screen play written by Mitch Glazer which was based on Dickens' novel. The movie, a 1998 20th Century Fox film, also is titled Great Expectations. A list of quotes from the movie can be found here. Guess what?

Kudos, Mitch Glazer. I like your words very much, but am somewhat chagrined to learn that they are not Dickensenia (did I coin a word or is there another word for what I mean?)

I'm off now, creating a response to the person who left the comment.

Tomorrow is also a day. (If I get the urge to post more quotations, I will try to vet them first.)

Container Gardening

2011-06-24T10:02:00.000-05:00

For several years, I've wished to have an herb garden, of sorts, and the soil in my yard being what it is -- clay! -- I haven't done much (read: much of anything). Gardening Daughter planted some Thyme, Basil and Parsley in a small bed next to the entrance to my carport (photos here). The Basil died out after the first season, the Parsley wintered-over, is in its second and final year and is going to seed (yay! perhaps it will reseed itself there). The Thyme has flourished and I frequently pick a few sprigs for cooking. But, it's not well-placed for a satisfactory herb bed.

I have two 24" plastic pots with saucers that have, over the years contained various growing things. Those things having died out over the winter made the pots available again. During Youngest Daughter's visit, she and the other daughters (Eldest and Gardening) decided that these would make suitable container gardens for some herbs (and other stuff I like).

I now have two large containers of plants, some edible, some not.

I'm quite taken with False Dracena/Cordyline, that spiky stuff one can often see in container gardens (flower gardens, usually). I like it so much that both my pots have a red/purple variety in the middle, surrounded by, among other things (divided between the pots): Sweet Basil, Spicy Globe Basil and Purple Basil; Fennel; one Jalapeno Pepper and one Sweet Banana Pepper; Curly Parsley and Flatleaf Parsley; Catnip (you know I'm going to have a treat for my kitties); and Purple and Green Sweet Potato Vines.

Gardening Daughter told me that container gardens, whether veggie or floral, to be pleasing to the eye should have "Thrill," "Fill," and "Spill" ( Thrill - something tall and eye-catching - that would be the Dracena/Cordyline, Fill -the herbs, and Spill - the Sweet Potato Vines which will, eventually, spill over the edges.) I'm quite satisfied with the results.

Yesterday morning, examination of the pot containing the Sweet Banana Pepper revealed that some critter with teeth (squirrel or raccoon) visited this pot on Wednesday evening and evidently liked the taste of this fruit. I suppose I should be glad the plant wasn't pulled out of the pot. I've harvested only one pepper to date; this one is a goner, but there are a couple of blooms, so I may yet have some more.

The weather forecast for the last few days, and the remainder of the week, has predicted thunderstorms, albeit with only a 30% -40% chance of rain. So far - nada! I've had to water both front and back plants every day. The large pot of Million Bells by the front door must be watered twice daily. Ah, well; it's only money (for the water bill.)

Tomorrow is also a day. Perhaps it will bring some rain.

Bits and Pieces

2011-06-23T08:35:00.001-05:00

I was watching TV last night when my attention was diverted to a scene outside my front window. The evening sky was a most glorious color. Not wanting to miss a photo-op, I arose, picked up my camera and ventured outside. The photo above was the first photo. As I stood, amazed at the colors on Nature's canvas, in just two minutes the scene had changed to this:

Ahhhh!

I haven't tinkered with the colors in any way. I did change the ISO from 100 (first shot) to 800 for the second one.

* * *

I'm down in my back, again. I've been arising early to work in the yard, trying to get some things done before the heat drives me indoors. On Monday morning of this week, I must have applied too much "vigorish" to my weeding which, because of my knees, is done in the least ergonomic manner one could imagine: I brace my feet and bend from the waist to do my weed pulling.

Uh, oh! Something that I shouldn't have stretched stretched, or moved out of its normal place, and I've been paying the price for my folly ever since. Muscle relaxers and Aleve don't seem to make much difference. The weeds seem to know that they are safe for the time being and are laughing behind my back, I'm sure. About all I've done since Monday is to keep the birdbaths and feeders replenished and to water those plants that must be watered if they are to survive. Otherwise, my yardening activities are severely curtailed.

* * *

I noticed yesterday that the blooms on the oakleaf hydrangea, which is very near the birdbaths, have changed from snowy white to an interesting greeny-pink, as evidenced below. I find the aging blooms quite beautiful.

Oakleaf Hydrangea Bloom

* * *

I've been letting the cats come into the back yard with me when I go out in the early mornings. They are quite enjoying the experience and, for the most part, are content to wander inside the fenced area. The only escapee is Missy, my solid black mama kitty, who takes great delight in hopping the fence, sitting down in the neighbor's yard and looking at me as if to say 'nanananabooboo'. Fortunately, I don't have to stress myself trying to go get her, as she soon tires of agitating me and hops back over the fence, albeit with a smug look on her face.

* * *

Tomorrow is also a day.

Recent Visitors

2011-06-17T22:09:00.000-05:00

Thule

Youngest daughter, Shelley, who lives in Nebraska, and whom I had not seen in person for almost a year, arrived on June 1 for a ten-day visit, accompanied by her 16 year old son and a very large Afghan Hound (photo above.)

I had shuffled things around in my small home to allow for their accommodation, which included an oversized kennel, borrowed from Gardening Daughter, for Thule (pronounced 'Too-lee'). I'm happy to say that she didn't balk when it was time to use her private quarters, which had been placed in the room where Grandson was to sleep, even though she would have preferred to sleep on my bed, which I shared with Daughter.

Thule is an extremely large dog. Having her here was much like having a Shetland Pony lumbering about the house. Fortunately for all, Thule is a gentle giant. She barked when she thought she needed to protect my daughter, but otherwise was a very well-behaved guest.

Thule is used to a more active lifestyle in her home town, where there is a large dog park where she is allowed to run free, so Daughter walked her several more times each day. I didn't accompany them; by mid-morning, the heat index was in the 90's, and my mama didn't raise no idjit. During these other, shorter, walks, both Daughter and Dawg returned with their tongues hanging out.

We had a great time -- which about wore me out. Daughter rose every day just before 6 a.m. (some time before my usual getting up time) to take Thule for a long walk. By the time they returned, I was up and working on my second cup of coffee. She and I had an opportunity for good visits each morning before Grandson was up and about, then we putzed around the yard, or watched TV or just talked. On several days we worked on projects around the house which had been a bit much for me to undertake on my own; I don't have as much muscle as I used to have. I'm happy with the results, and very grateful for the help. I got rid of a bunch of stuff, and that makes me happy, too.

We made one excursion out of town, to see my sister in Hot Springs Village (Thule stayed home with a sitter). Other family members and friends visited here, and we had supper in the homes of my other daughters a couple of times. Daughter helped me prepare for a Stamp Camp, which was held on the Saturday before they left. She said she enjoyed doing some stamping, and putting together packets for me (I did all the paper cutting), and I'll take her word for it. I was happy to have her assistance.

My grandson cooked supper for us one evening -- a Paula Deen recipe he brought with him, Tilapia with Basil and Tomatoes. It was fun to help him assemble all the ingredients (we had only to buy some Tilapia fillets, I had everything else on hand) and to watch him prepare the dish, which was delicious. Perhaps he'll pursue a career as a chef. :)

He's a neat kid!

They are all back home safely, after a thirteen hour trip which included several detours and at least one back-track because of the flooding Missouri River.

I was glad to have them here, and glad to have them back home safely. I'm planning a fall visit to their home in Nebraska (it's too hot here to go now and leave the responsibility for caring for my garden to others).

That's about it. I miss having a morning coffee buddy.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Books - June, 1999

2011-06-16T20:16:00.002-05:00

Dover Clipart

For those who might wonder, I've not fallen off the face of the earth; I've been engaged in other things outside the world of blogging. I've finally started trying to construct a post or two regarding my recent visitors -- my youngest daughter, her son and a very large Afghan Hound by the name of Thule (as in Greenland).

In the meantime, another monthly installment of books read in 1999.

Chromosome 6 - Robin Cook

Plum Island - Nelson DeMille

Murder in the Chateau - Elliott Roosevelt

Larceny & Old Lace - Tamar Myers

Gilt by Association - Tamar Myers

Night of the Dog (a Mamur Zapt mystery) - Michael Pearce

The Girl in the Nile - (a Mamur Zapt mystery) - Michael Pearce

The Poet - Michael Connelly

Murder and mayhem evidently occupied my reading list this month, none of which I would recommend for the young lady of still tender years pictured above. Not being of tender years at the time, I enjoyed them all.

I'm currently reading, when I stop to take a breather, the Kindle Edition of an old, old story by H. Rider Haggard, The People of the Mist.

All the links above lead to Amazon.com, with whom I have no association other than an occasional purchase.

Tomorrow is also a day.

In Memorium and In Appreciation

2011-05-30T18:50:00.000-05:00

These flowers, which were on our church altar yesterday, were taken to the residents of the Arkansas Veterans Home this afternoon by Gardening Daughter, her husband and myself. The flowers were given by one of our church members to the Glory of God and in memory of our country’s patriots; those who gave their lives to defend it and those who lived their lives to promote and support national values and unity.

The men and women who live in the facility seem always glad to have visits from folk in the community, even those they don't know, and they, and the staff, seem to genuinely appreciate flowers. These had an extra added attraction in that they smelled wonderful. Some of the white flowers are Stock, which has a distinct fragrance of sweet cloves; I love their perfume.

The Veterans Home is as pleasant as a place like it can be, I suppose. It's clean and well maintained and with a very friendly and, I trust, helpful staff. It was my son-in-law's first visit, but I suspect it will not be his last.

I hope you had an enjoyable Memorial Day holiday, and whatever else you did, I hope you took a minute or two to remember why this day is set apart.

Tomorrow is also a day.

More Blooms

2011-05-26T06:00:00.002-05:00

In one of my earliest posts, I wrote about the Mophead Hydrangea pictured above. It was planted in the spring of 1965. At the time, it was just a florist's potted hydrangea that had been sent to our family at the time of my father's death in January of that year. It has grown quite large over the years and is one of my pride and joy plants. Yesterday morning, it was covered with blooms in various stages, as shown below.

Just opened; still greenish white.

Beginning to show a bit of blue.

Getting there. Green gone; now pale blue and white.

All blue, and about 6" or 7" across.

Other plants now in bloom in my front garden are:

Heuchera Southern Comfort (coral bells)

I love those huge, bronze leaves!

Variegated Hosta

Calibrachoa (million bells)

a gift from Gardening Daughter.

I do love this time of year!

I suppose I could have used these photos for several posts, but other plants will be blooming tomorrow and in the following weeks. I'll have "Springy" blog fodder for a while before the interminable summer heat arrives.

Tomorrow is also a day.

What's Blooming

2011-05-25T06:49:00.000-05:00

Oakleaf Hydrangea

"H-14" (still doesn't have a name)

Hybrid Day Lily 7" across. I sure do have a gnarly hand!

Asiatic Lily

It's not quite June but, if I were I singer, I'd be singing "June is busting out all over."

Tomorrow is also a day. I wonder what will be blooming then?

Bits and Pieces - Dancing Between the Raindrops

2011-05-24T14:42:00.000-05:00

Friday night of last week, a heavy rainstorm blessed this area, leaving a bit over three inches of liquid sunshine. Saturday morning's skies were overcast, with more thunderstorms and potentially heavy rain in the forecast for most parts of the state.

Not so good.

Saturday, May 21, was the date scheduled for the formal exchange of wedding vows for my son's youngest daughter and her husband. They were legally married over a year ago by a Justice of the Peace and live in a very small town in northwest Arkansas; she drives almost daily into Fayetteville where she attends the University of Arkansas. It had been her dream to get married at Thorncrown Chapel, just outside Eureka Springs, AR, and Saturday was the date set for this event.

I had long ago made plans to attend this event, but it didn't look like the weather was going to cooperate. Eureka Springs is 190 miles northwest of my home, a three and a half-hour drive over good roads that wind up and down and all around the hills that make northwest Arkansas so beautiful. Although the roads are good, if they are wet, I'd just as soon be driving somewhere else. What to do? Go, of course, wet roads or no wet roads; she's my granddaughter.

Eldest daughter, her mother-in-law and I left here at 10:00 a.m. under heavily overcast skies to make the drive for the 4:30 wedding. By the time we were 40 miles away, the sun was shining with hardly a cloud in the sky. The countryside was beautiful, with nary a trace of dust on the trees and grasses, their having been washed thoroughly by the previous evening's rain. The wildflowers along the side of the road were blooming in profusion. I was driving, or I would have had some photos.

We arrived at Thorncrown Chapel about an hour before the wedding was to begin, so we had time to wander around a bit in the still wonderful sunshine. Those three umbrellas and a raincoat in my car stayed unused.

Exterior, Thorncrown Chapel

Interior, Thorncrown Chapel

The ceremony was well attended by family and close friends and followed by a reception at their church in their hometown, a bit over a 30 minute drive southeast of Eureka Springs. Those folk who didn't make the wedding were there for the reception; an almost full house.

We left the reception just after 6:30, headed east on U.S. Highway 412 (not my favorite road number for this reason) across the top of Arkansas, through some more beautiful country to intersect with U.S. Highway 65 which would lead us back into central Arkansas and home.

We got home just before 11 p.m., just ahead of another batch of thunderstorms which left another half-inch of rain.

Life is good!

Tomorrow is also a day.

Consider the lilies of the field...

2011-05-20T10:15:00.001-05:00

"... how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Matthew 6:28b - 29 (KJV)

I ventured into the back yard this morning, thinking that I would mow before the thunderstorms anticipated for later today. Sorry to say, I didn't have enough "oomph" in my muscles to start the mower. I think it's about time to invest in one that will start at the push of a button. The lawn will go un-mowed for a few days until I can make the purchase or (more cost-effective) get someone with more muscle power to get it started for me.

Just under my bedroom window, this day lily had opened this morning, the first to bloom in the long row next to house. How do I know it opened this morning? Because that's what day lilies do; open for a day, then wither and die.

This particular lily, whose name I no longer recall, was gifted to me by my youngest sister. I always think of her when it blooms.

Tomorrow is also a day (and there are many lily buds waiting to open.)

Post-publication P.S. Happy Birthday, Baba. My father would have been 125 years old today. My granddaughter observes her 30th birthday today.

Books Read - May, 1999

2011-05-13T06:00:00.009-05:00

Dover Clip Art

As I promised (threatened), here is yet another list of books I read in 1999, this particular list being for the month of May of that year, and except for one (I'll let you guess), all 'light' reading.

Lethal Practice - Peter Clement

The Prophetess - Barbara Wood

Murder on the Silk Road - Stephanie Matteson

Murder at the Falls - Stephanie Matteson

Delilah Doolittle and the Purloined Pooch - Patricia Guiver

Blind Descent- Nevada Barr

The Club Dumas - Arturo Perez-Reverte

Days of Drums - Philip Shelby

The Monkey's Raincoat - Robert Crais

No Use Dying over Spilled Milk - Tamar Myers

Just Plain Pickled to Death - Tamar Myers

All links are to Amazon.com, a company with which I have no association whatsoever beyond an occasional purchase for my personal library.

Tomorrow is also a day.

By the Sea - South Padre Island

2011-05-11T10:33:00.001-05:00

click to enlarge

A few photographic glimpses of our recent trip to South Padre Island, Texas. Granddaughter (and Grandma) really likes the water. I know that seagulls are pests, for the most part, but I enjoyed watching them.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Mother's Day - 2011

2011-05-08T18:00:00.008-05:00

My 'local' children, Elder Daughter, Fantastic Son, Gardening Daughter and their respective spouses/families gathered today in Elder Daughter's home to treat me to a Mother's Day lunch. Delicious! All the good, home-made sorts of stuff that I really like, including strawberry shortcake.

Youngest Daughter, who lives in Nebraska, sent flowers yesterday (photo above -- I wish there were smell-a-vision, they have a wonderful, house-filling fragrance) and I had a good, long telephone conversation with her.

Having missed church on Easter Sunday and the following Sunday due to illness, it was good to be back in church this morning. Spending the afternoon with most of my children was also a blessing.

I hope you had a wonderful day, also.

Tomorrow is also a day.

I'm Back

2011-05-07T18:29:00.000-05:00

Image - Internet

The bloodhounds have been sent to track me down, so I'd better crawl out from under my rock and report for duty. Where have I been? I'll try to keep it brief.

In mid-April, I traveled with Gardening Daughter and my six year old granddaughter, Sweetie, to visit Gardening Daughter's son, currently stationed with the U.S. Coast Guard on South Padre Island, Texas. April 18 was grandson's birthday and, except for one year since the day he was born in 1991, I have been with him on each of his birthdays.

Although we didn't get to spend as much time with him as we would have liked because of his work schedule, we had a grand time. His apartment is only two blocks from the Gulf side of the island, and we girls visited the sea-side several times a day.

So... why the long absence from this blog? A major bronchial infection reared its ugly head the day after our return, laid me out flat for over a week and robbed me of any semblance of energy. The medications I was prescribed played funny games with my brain and not only was I gasping for air and coughing my head off, I couldn't find two brain cells to rub together, much less construct an understandable sentence. You should thank me that I didn't try to compose any posts.

The torrential rain and tornados came and went while I was semi-comatose. The general area in which I live was damaged by both (even the air force base 3 miles away had extensive damage) but not anywhere near that of our neighbors to the east of us. We are very fortunate.

I'm happy to say that I'm greatly improved. I still get winded upon any physical exertion, but I'm feeling better every day and hope to be back to normal soon.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Dainty Bess Rose

2011-04-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

Family: Rosaceae

Genus: Rosa

Cultivar: Dainty Bess

Hybridized by Archer; Year of Registration or Introduction: 1925

Almost every year, the first rose to bloom in my garden is a Dainty Bess rose that is 20 years old. I planted it in a bed along the south wall of my home in the spring of 1991, and it has been a reliable bloomer every year. If it holds true to its performance in years past, it will bloom three or four times before frost.

I like it for its single layer of petals and its sweet true pink color.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend.

Tomorrow is also a day.

A Messy Nest

2011-04-15T06:00:00.008-05:00

For several minutes on a day last week, I watched a Robin in the process of gathering material for a potential nesting site. I first spotted her (I assume it was a female, but I could be mistaken) at the edge of one of my overgrown day lily beds. She was pulling dried grasses from between the newly emerged plants. Some of the grasses, evidently, were still slightly rooted, because she would try to take off with a beak full only to be pulled back into the bed. It took her four attempts to finally pull that particular load free of the ground.

I watched in some amusement, and a great deal of sympathy, as she flew the 15 feet or so from the lily bed to the top of the large electrical breaker-box on the outside of my house, a flat site she had selected for the nest. Plant material more than twice the length of her body trailed behind her. From the looks of it (above) she was a first-time nest builder. I watched her as she nipped and tucked, but most of the grass was still trailing off the edge, and a considerable amount had already fallen onto the day lilies planted directly below the box.

I've not seen any activity there for the last couple of days and suspect that she has abandoned this particular location as being not particularly well suited to her needs. I'll leave the area alone for a week or so then remove it, but leave the stuff somewhere in the yard that will be visible to a bird interested in acquiring secondhand building material. I'll even include, at no additional cost, the green rubber band she seems to have incorporated. Do you see it?

I expect if I looked closely in the bushes and trees in my yard, I could find a few more nesting sites..

Tomorrow is also a day.

Yet Again, 1999 Books Read

2011-04-13T04:00:00.029-05:00

(Dover clip art)

Books I read in April, 1999:

Goose in the Pond - Earline Fowler
Pope Joan - Donna Woolfolk Cross
Eater of Souls - Lynda S. Robinson
Twenty Blue Devils - Aaron Elkins
Blood Line - (audio book) - Sidney Sheldon
The Water is Wide - Pat Conroy
Flower Net - Lisa See
Numbered Account - Christopher Reich
Blood Work - Michael Connelly

Cozy; historical "fiction?"; ancient Egypt; forensic anthropology; intrigue; non-fiction; mystery; intrigue; thriller. I do enjoy a wide variety of subject matter. The links under the books' names will take you to Amazon.com (with which company I am associated in no way whatsoever.)

My books in progress are listed on the side bar of my blog page. I'm finding the Edgar Allan Poe a bit daunting. His work is 'spookier' than I remember, or perhaps I've just become more tender as I've aged.

I'd welcome the opportunity to learn what you are reading right now. Why don't you tell me about it in the comments section?

Tomorrow is also a day.

Storms and Such

2011-04-11T15:32:00.001-05:00

I fell asleep last night with the TV still tuned to The Weather Channel. I had been watching the reports of the storms that raged through Iowa, Wisconsin and other parts of the upper Midwest. My thoughts and prayers go out to those hundreds of people who live in towns razed by the tornados and other massive storms who are injured or whose homes are gone or damaged. Nature is sometimes not gentle.

Shortly after 3 a.m. I awoke to see and hear of even more damage and threats of vicious storms in other areas of the country. At the time, all was quiet here. I went back to sleep after an hour or so only to be awakened just before dawn by claps of thunder and the sound of pouring rain. While the wind blew hard (as evidenced by small limbs and other debris in the streets), our thunderstorm was a light one. It rained again pretty hard about 10 a.m., then the wind blew the clouds out of the way and the sun came out. I took the photo above from my back yard about two o'clock this afternoon. There's still some rain in the clouds but as the wind was moving them along pretty rapidly it will fall on someone else's land.

While I was outside, I couldn't help but notice that the anemometer on my in-ground weather vane was doing a merry spin. Since I am still quite the photography novice, it took a bit of manipulation of the shutter speed on my camera, and more than a few exposures, to capture the motion to my minimal satisfaction.

The pink blurs in the background are those of my Dainty Bess rose, the first of my roses to bloom. Yes, I got some photos of those, too; blog fodder for later.

I hope you, and those you love, are safe and unscathed by this past weekend's storms.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Blessings on You, George Ballas

2011-04-09T11:17:00.000-05:00

"Who is George Ballas?" you might ask. If you already know, give yourself 100 Brownie Points.

Mr. Ballas is my favorite person right now. Why? Because he invented the

Weed Eater

This morning, after I'd had my first cup of coffee, the temperature was 70 degrees. Dry. Light breeze. A perfect morning for mowing the jungle that passes for my back yard. It is bad, folks; really bad -- weeds knee-high in spots.

Upon opening the shed door I immediately had to dodge some wasps who were busy creating their paper nest on the inside of the door frame. Did you know that wasps do not like WD-40? I couldn't find the can of wasp spray so I grabbed the WD-40 and gave them a spritz! Voila! Wasps gone!

I retrieved the gasoline container, filled the lawnmower, checked the oil, primed the carburetor, and pulled the starter cord -- and pulled the starter cord and pulled the starter cord. Nada! I think I need a new spark plug!

Now, when I'm in the mood to cut grass, I'm gonna cut grass! Ta-Da! Weed Eater to the rescue! It's doing a more than passable job.

I spared this particular weed just long enough to get its photo. Amazingly, it was the only dandelion seed head I saw in the yard.

I'm writing this during a cool-down period. Swinging that Weed-Eater makes me 'glow.'

I hope you're having a great weekend.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Bits and Pieces

2011-04-06T09:28:00.000-05:00

My neighbor's pretty dogwood tree

Bird sightings yesterday included the first hummingbird of the season. Gardening Daughter's advice to make nectar and put out the feeder was just in time. The little bird lingered only long enough for three or four sips, and since the feeder has been up for several days, I need to inspect the nectar to assure its freshness. I'd hate for a hummer to find my offering unpalatable.

Two Goldfinches, females, I think, made a brief appearance for a drink from the bird bath and moved on; their leaving was my clue to get out the Niger Thistle seed and refill the finch feeder.

Blue jays, cardinals and sparrows of various sorts are routine visitors. While Jays don't have what I would describe as a 'sweet' call, they, like the other birds, are more vocal right now, and the air around my home is filled with bird melodies. At first light this morning, the crape myrtle in my front yard was the grandstand from which the cardinals were serenading their lady-loves -- a wonderful sound to start my day.

The weather front which moved through the state on Monday (very wet and blustery) brought clear skies on its skirt-tails, and yesterday was a beautiful day. It's cooler this morning, and partly cloudy, but it looks like it's going to be a lovely Wednesday.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Flashback: early 1950's

2011-04-04T13:28:00.001-05:00

Image: Wikipedia; article

This morning, while starting to brush my teeth, I remembered why I always start with my front teeth; the upper incisors, to be exact. Although I've been brushing my teeth this way for 60 years, the routine process did not always begin this way.

Flashback: Our first Arkansas home was in the country, about five miles outside the nearest town (population appx. 400). City-supplied water, if there was any, stopped at least 4.9 miles from us. When we moved to the farm we drew what water we needed from the well on the screened porch outside the back door. Many hundreds of buckets of water were pulled out of the ground before my father was persuaded that an electric pump and, at least, a cold-water line into the kitchen were in order. And so it was done.

Daddy installed a large sink on one wall of the kitchen. I think it came supplied with two faucets, but only one was operational (as I remember, Sister); I had already left home for college before hot water was available inside. If we needed hot water, we heated it on the stove.

A mirror and a substantial open shelf were on the wall above the sink. These served as a sort of 'bathroom vanity' (the 'bathroom' was about 50-75 feet away, a privy in the chicken yard). Daddy's razor, shaving cream and brush, the family toothpaste, our individual toothbrushes, my younger sister's cosmetics, and other personal grooming items required by two parents, three girls and one boy were on the shelf.

One morning, as I was getting ready for school, I selected my toothbrush, absent mindedly reached up on the shelf, grabbed a tube and squeezed a ribbon of white paste onto the brush. As was my practice in those days, I inserted the toothbrush all the way back into my mouth to the vicinity of my left molars.

Gag! Sputter, Gag, again!

Of course, you already know what I had squeezed onto my toothbrush, don't you? Yep! Brylcreem! --used by my father on the few hairs he had left on his head, and by my younger brother. The tube was the same shape and size as the toothpaste tube and, as I expected it to be toothpaste, I didn't even read the label. That experience changed forever the way I brush my teeth.

You can take my word for it: a little dab'l do ya!

Tomorrow is also a day.

Spring Is All Around - And Eaglets

2011-04-03T06:00:00.004-05:00

White daffodils, Kwanzan Flowering Cherry, wisteria, Japanese Painted Fern, pansy, Stars of Bethlehem, wild strawberry bloom, violets, Japanese Maple.

About half these photos were taken in Gardening Daughter's yard, the others at my place. My Japanese Maple tree has leafed out very nicely. I was a bit worried about it after it suffered so much from last summer's heat.

The eaglets are hatching at Decorah, Iowa. The first was out of it's shell early Saturday morning; another may have hatched since I last looked (I've been watching sporadically) and the third egg has a peep hole, already. It's exciting!

Tomorrow is also a day.

More Spring Things

2011-04-02T06:00:00.008-05:00

Carolina Jessamine - my garden

While I was outside yesterday looking at violets, I could not help but notice that the Carolina Jessamine on my fence was loaded with blooms. It seems like only a week or so ago that I was taking photographs of the dried seed heads. Ah, Spring!

The air was still, for a change, while I was out, and for the first time since I planted this vine (almost 20 years ago), I could definitely smell the fragrance of the blooms hanging in the air. Perhaps it was because there are so very many blooms on the plant this year. The fragrance is light and lovely, unlike other jasmine varieties whose perfume I find overwhelming.

Bees are attracted to the blossoms, too, as I captured below.

Carolina Jessamine blossom with Bee

I followed one bee around to a dozen or more different flowers in the couple of minutes I was photographing the vine.

It was nice to see this burst of bright yellow. My forsythia, for the second time in as many years, has short-changed me in the blossom department. My huge plant, which is about 8 feet in diameter, had fewer than 100 blossoms on it. I think I need to cut it waaay back and see if it makes any difference next year. Or, maybe it just needs some vitamins.

While I was at Gardening Daughter's home a few days ago, we were 'touring the property' looking at the new growth on her plants. She pointed out to me that her Russian Sage was putting out blossoms and said, "The hummingbirds will be here within a week." She says her sage is a sure indicator.

She called me yesterday afternoon to let me know that the hummingbirds had arrived, just as she predicted. "Make some nectar and get it out, Mom. They're here." She can be uncanny, sometimes.

That's about it.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Bits and Pieces

2011-04-01T14:59:00.007-05:00

Wild Violets - my backyard

Item: First, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for my granddaughter. While not completely free of all symptoms, she felt well enough to return to school on Monday after her release from the hospital. She has been to school every day this week, taking her own home-prepared food for lunch. Even after all the tests, including the nuclear scan a week ago, no conclusive diagnosis was made. Gardening Daughter says she doesn't know whether to continue to be frustrated by the lack of a diagnosis or just to be thankful that her prayers were answered and there is nothing seriously wrong. It's still a more than slightly troubling puzzlement.

Item: I had hoped to get some much needed work done in my back yard during my blogging break. Alas, it was not to be. I was first hindered by the onset of cold, rainy weather which lasted for days; I think that, until today, we had only about 10 minutes of sunshine during the entire week. We had a brief hail storm one afternoon; I could see the effects of it when I finally got outside. The tulip magnolia blossoms are really tatty looking and a couple of early blooming Irises also showed damage.  The second hindrance was that the older I get the more severe my pollen allergies become and they hit in full force on Saturday. I chose to exit the church service right after the sermon on Sunday because I was, in my opinion, being disruptive by my almost continual sneezing and subsequent tissue use. Amen - sneeze, sneeze, sniff, sniff, honk, honk! I made an immediate trip to a pharmacy for some Claritin; it took a couple of days for that to kick in, but most of my symptoms are allayed and I'm feeling like a human again. I have decided that I should never be without some Claritin on my medicine shelf. I probably should start taking it when the trees begin to bloom, and before my symptoms become severe.

Item - regarding the photo above: One of my blogger friends "Mimi Foxmorton," The Goat Borrower, posted this morning about wild things, particularly wild violets. She likes'em! I'll let you read the details of how much she likes them. I like them, too, and have allowed them to take over a good-sized section of my back yard.  I don't mow in that area until the violet blooms are gone. I've offered to send her some roots; her neighbors will not be amused. Can you imagine? -- there are people in the world who consider them weeds!

I can't remember when I haven't liked violets; I like the dark green of their leaves, the variegated purples and violets of their blooms, and their fragrance. Ahhhh!

Unearthed from somewhere in my memory is the image of Joan Crawford, fur stole thrown about her shoulders, and wearing violets on her furs. That memory brought to the forefront another memory, the melody and words of the song, "Violets for Her Furs." I leave you with this rendition (with a change in pronoun) by Miss Billie Holiday.

If you liked the melody, but Billie Holiday is not quite your cup of tea, you might enjoy this YouTube instrumental rendition by the John Coltrane Quartet.

I hope you've had a wonderful week, and are looking forward to a great weekend.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Blog Break

2011-03-26T21:51:00.002-05:00

I'll be back, soon.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Update on My Granddaughter

2011-03-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

I thank everyone who has expressed concern for my granddaughter. She was released from the hospital this evening; not fully recovered, but much better than when she was admitted. A small pharmacy accompanied her trip home. Her parents are hoping that they can keep her out of the emergency room/hospital for the foreseeable future.

Some specialized 'nuclear medicine' tests were performed on her today, but the results will not be available until Monday. Her physicians now suspect that a problem with her gallbladder, which was not clearly indicated at first, may be the culprit. One does not think of a seventeen year old as a prime candidate for that sort of thing, but all things are possible. It will be a relief to all concerned to have a final diagnosis, and to learn what the next steps are to getting her completely well.

She's always been a slim slip of a thing and now, having lost eighteen pounds since the onset of her symptoms, she can only be described as "gaunt." It will be a long while, I think, before she regains the lost weight.

Unless something unexpected occurs, I do not have Sweetie-duty this weekend, so will be back to my normal (whatever that is) routine.

Thank you, again, for your concern and well-wishes.

Tomorrow is also a day.

A Response

2011-03-24T19:30:00.001-05:00

In the comments section of my "Full Plate" post, a regular visitor (thank you, rhymeswithplague) wrote as follows:

"Just what all did y'all have at the picnic? I see what look like tomatoes (unless they are strawberries), but I'm having trouble identifying the other foods. English peas? Chick peas? Apple pie? Potatoes? Corn fritters? Inquiring minds want to know."

I started to reply in the comments section, but when my response began to reach 'post' length -- well, here you are:

Dear Rhymeswithplague,

That was not my picnic, not my photo. In other words, I have no idea. The photo is as close as I could find on the Internet of a plate that's running over -- the way I felt when I got home last evening. These days, I don't handle very well any interruptions to my normal routine. Can I say "set in my ways?" Or, worse: "Lazy?"

In the past ten years of retirement, I have become a creature of habit and voluntary solitude, which I choose to call 'Peace and Quiet'; not necessarily a good thing. I would be perfectly content to follow the same (slothful?) routine day after day after day, doing only what suits me -- when it suits me. I never (or hardly ever) protest anyone's request for my time and efforts, if asked; I just don't handle it very well after the fact.

Granddaughter is still sick, still hospitalized, without a conclusive diagnosis. The physicians will not release her until she is able to retain some nourishment, preferably some solid food, which she has been unable to tolerate (read: keep down) for almost three weeks. Her mother, Gardening Daughter, is almost at wits-end. I know that you're a praying person; please add Jessica M. to your prayer list, and add her almost frantic parents, too.

In the absence from home of Gardening Daughter and son-in-law, who are taking turns at the hospital so as to have one of them with her 24 hours a day, I am pulling more than the usually-sporadic Sweetie-duty. While I love my granddaughter dearly, it's been a long time since I've had to spend more than a couple of hours at a time in full charge of a six year old who has enough energy to wear the horns off a brass billy goat. "Please sit down and be still for a while" is not on her agenda, as it should not be on mine. Ah, well. What doesn't kill me will make me stronger, or so I've heard.

If I feel like my plate is currently too full, I also remember that "my cup runneth over," but that's another thing entirely, for which I'm very thankful, and which makes my perceived overly-full plate a pauper's portion in comparison.

Image:free-christian-wallpapers.blogspot.com

Tomorrow is also a day.

A Full Plate

2011-03-23T19:34:00.000-05:00

Wikimedia Commons - Photo by Itai - Public Domain

Life can sometimes be like an full picnic plate. The only way to get through it is one bite at a time.

Thank goodness picnics are not an everyday occurrence; I'm chewing as fast as I can.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Spring is Here & Nesting Eagles

2011-03-22T21:22:00.001-05:00

Spring Beauty
Claytonia virginica

My front and back yards are covered with these pretty small flowers. Until I read the information at the the link, I didn't know that most of this plant is edible.

Spring-like temperatures have been around for a few days, although it was cloudy today. I spent nearly all the day indoors since I had Sweetie (granddaughter) duty today from nine to five. We had a good time together, as always.

The reason for my all day duty was that Sweetie's older sister, age seventeen, has been suffering from gastric distress of an unknown origin for over a week. It's been severe enough to warrant several trips to the emergency room and yesterday afternoon's visit resulted in her being admitted as an in-patient. She will have several procedures done over the next couple of days to try to ascertain the cause. Mom and Dad are with her, in shifts, 24/7, so Sweetie and I will be spending more time together until sister gets to come home.

Since Sweetie is home-schooled (as were all her siblings), there are various educational activities to be done each day. She practiced her printing today to write a short note to big brother who is in the Coast Guard. All this is new to me, so I probably will learn as much (if different things) as she does.

LIVE VIDEO - NESTING EAGLES - I know this site is making the blogger-rounds right now so you may already have seen it. I've sent to the link to all my family members and close friends. If you haven't seen it and would like to, I invite you to visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/decorah-eagles. The eagle pair is nesting at a fish hatchery outside Decorah, Iowa, a few miles south of the Minnesota border. I've found it fascinating. Don't be off-put by the introductory advertising; it lasts only 30 seconds or so, and it's worth the wait to see the eagles.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Mostly From The Archives

2011-03-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

The pews in our church, like those in many churches, have racks on the back of the pew in front. These are used to hold hymnals and other materials used in the worship service. Each of our pew racks contains a Bible (RSV), a hymnal, and a Book of Common Prayer.

The rack for the pew in which I normally sit contains a Book of Common Prayer that often had been used by one of my dear friends, C.J., now deceased. This particular prayer book has many 'sticky arrows' that C.J. used to mark the most often used services and prayers. Although they are easily removed, leaving no residue, we have chosen to leave them there; they are so "C.J."-ish.

Using this prayer book always makes me think of her and, consequently, of a story she told me, which I recounted here in my early blogging days. Since today has been a rather 'fractious' day, I'm going to rerun that story. If you've already read it, move on, and thank you for visiting; if not, I hope you enjoy it -- here. The photo below will give you a clue as to what the story is about.

Bourbon Whiskey Bottle from Gettysburg - Wikipedia

Tomorrow is also a day.

Lace Cap Hydrangea - Today's Flowers #136

2011-03-20T16:00:00.002-05:00

Lace Cap Hydrangea (with visitors)

photographed in July, 2010, Fremont, Nebraska

Today's Flowers is a weekly Meme created by Luiz Santilli, Jr. and currently hosted by Luiz Santilli, Jr., Denise in Virginia, Laerte Pupo and Sandy Carlson. I invite you to visit Today's Flowers to see lovely flowers from all around the world. If you have a flower photo of your own that you'd like to share, information about how to participate may be found on the 'Procedure' page.

A Fine Evening Out

2011-03-19T22:34:00.001-05:00

Photo - Shogun Japanese Steakhouse

My son, who lives nearby, called me yesterday to invite me to a birthday dinner for his youngest daughter. One of her favorite places to eat is the Shogun Japanese Steakhouse in Little Rock -- and that's where we dined earlier this evening. Amidst flashing knives and spatulas, flaming oil and much showmanship, we were served delicious food, and plenty of it. I have a take-home box that will provide a generous lunch tomorrow.

My granddaughter married a fine young man from northern Arkansas, and she moved there a couple of years ago. They live in a small, rural community not too many miles from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville Campus where she is studying. It's a moderate commute, but she seems not to mind at all. It was wonderful to see her and her family (her husband has a lovely young daughter who came down here with them.)

I drove to the home of my son and daughter-in-law about 30 minutes before we needed to leave for Little Rock for the express purpose of meeting their two newly acquired dogs; five year old greyhounds which they adopted. They are beautiful male brindle greyhounds named Heart and Luke. Huge dogs, but quite social. I was greeted politely, then mostly ignored.

These are not the first greyhounds in their home. They had an adored female named Hope who lived with them for a long time before she died a couple of years ago. She, too, was adopted. They have been looking for another greyhound for some time, and originally thought they would take only one, but fell in love with both dogs and couldn't leave one behind.

I had an extremely pleasant evening, made even more so by viewing the beautiful super perigee moon on our way home.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Heucheras, Hostas and More, Oh, My!

2011-03-18T20:38:00.002-05:00

I was out in the yard again today. All the leaves that had been piled under the maple tree, on the west side of the yard, made their way to the curb, where they will be picked up by the city. When I moved to the east side of my lot, I became distracted by the Mop-head Hydrangea bush, which still bore last year's blossoms, now skeletonized and dried to a pale tan. Those had to go, so I worked for some time getting the 46 year old shrub trimmed back into a semblance of order; lots of new growth there. That task 'shot my wad' and I had to retreat inside without raking the east half of the yard (but see end of this post.*)

I wrote yesterday that some of my plants are up/newly leafed, etc., among them my Hostas and Heuchera, or Coral Bells. The photo above shows one of the Heuchera with Hosta shoots behind and to the left. The next photo is a closer look at the Southern Comfort Heuchera. The copper-colored leaves are beautiful, I think.

All photos should enlarge with a click, if you're interested.

I actually stopped to count the Hosta clumps today; I think I said yesterday that there were ten of them, but I counted only seven while I was mulching around the plants with pine needles (generously contributed by my across the street neighbor whose back yard is full of pine trees.) Right now, all that can be seen of the Hostas are these spiky shoots, but there will soon be leaves.

Before I came back into the house after taking the above photos, I thought I might get some close-ups of the blooms on my Japanese Maple tree. Although quite small, I think they are pretty. In the process of taking the photos, I made a discovery about my camera. Why this particular effect occurred, I do not know; someone with more photographic experience than I can probably furnish a simple explanation. Both the photo to the left and the one below were taken within seconds of each other. There was still light in the sky, as is evident at left.

My camera was in Macro mode (I was not using my Macro lens, just the camera setting). I activated the flash to take a photo of the same group of blossoms, and .... huh? It looks like it was taken in the dead of night. (Photo below.) I love the effect, but I don't understand why it happened.

I tried it again on another cluster. Photo to the left - no flash. Photo below - flash.

Inquiring minds want to know -- and they really would like to know without having to read a photography manual (can you say "lazy?") Anyone out there who would care to explain? Preferably in words of no more than two syllables?

* The east side of the yard: When I returned from a Friday evening church service (we have more services than usual during Lent), I found that the east side of my yard had been raked clean. ?? Some good fairy had been busy. Making a guess at the person to whom I should be thankful, I phoned Gardening Daughter. Yes, it was she that I had to thank for finishing this tiresome chore. Now I can concentrate on the back yard.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Bits and Pieces

2011-03-17T21:31:00.001-05:00

I awoke early, after starting late and then staying up until after midnight pulling together the scriptures, Psalms and prayers for the service of Morning Prayer for today. Morning Prayer is one of several Episcopal Church services at which trained lay persons may officiate. At 10 a.m., I led the service at the church, with three retired women and myself in attendance; the small number of attendees is not unexpected for a weekday morning when almost everyone else is at work. I've taken on the joyful obligation of leading Morning Prayer every Thursday morning during our church season of Lent.

After the service, I took care of some other church business, then came home for lunch, leftovers from last night's Soup and Salad supper at church. I had made a big pot of chicken-rice soup for the occasion and brought the uneaten portion home with me - enough for three generous servings. I can make a meal out of soup and a few crackers.

About two o'clock, that pesky Wan'tu, about whom I wrote a few weeks ago, sprang into action again and forced Can'du out into the yard to work at getting the leaves out of the front flower beds. It was quite warm, 77 degrees F, with bright sunshine, and Can'du got hot and quit working after just over an hour. She may have received a light sunburn on her face, even with that relatively short exposure.

While watching Can'du sweating away, I observed that the Hostas planted on the north side of the house have pushed up thick, spiky new growth, leaves still tightly furled, and the three Heucheras and a Black-eyed Susan planted in front of them are growing like crazy. All it takes is a few warm days to get things up-and-at-'em. I didn't think to take any photos of my own emerging plants, but perhaps I will do so tomorrow. Just to keep things interesting, I'm sharing photos of Hosta and Heuchera from the Internet.

Hosta, at least two varieties

Heuchera Southern Comfort

the leaves on my plants are not this large yet

but my plants are the Southern Comfort variety and
I love this color!

After a period of rest and re-hydration, I busied myself paying bills, a dreaded but necessary chore. Most of my bill-paying is done online, so it's not as onerous a task as it could be, but it still takes time.

I'm ready to wash up and turn in. Tomorrow is also a day.

Highly Recommended Reading

2011-03-16T22:43:00.000-05:00

The news from Japan following the natural, and man-made, disasters has and will continue to dominate the headlines for some time to come, as it should. The Japanese people, and those who have come from all over the world to try to help them, many risking their own lives, remain in my thoughts and prayers.

I have a potter friend in New Zealand, Peter, who, in his most recent post, supplied a link to the blog of another potter, Euan Craig, an Australian who now lives and works in Japan. Mr. Craig and his family live just north of Tokyo. I have spent some time this evening reading the posts which he published in the hours following the earthquake. I highly recommend them to you.

If you choose to read these, remember that, as terrible as things are for them, Mr. Craig and his family are among the fortunate ones.

I close with this thought: "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." -- John Wooden

Tomorrow is also a day.

What Was That -- Up in the Sky?

2011-03-15T23:35:00.002-05:00

It was not two birds; it was not two planes; it was not two Supermen! It was a beautiful sight and I didn't have my camera! Tsk, tsk!

This evening, just after sunset, I was driving west toward my stamping buddy's home and noticed two bright objects in the twilight sky. At first I thought it might be airplanes with their landing lights on, but the objects appeared to be much closer together than airplanes usually are allowed to get -- and they didn't move. My traveling companion and I decided that they must be planets, or stars, but we didn't know which ones.

Upon arriving at my friend's home, I commandeered her laptop computer and Googled "What stars or planets were in the western sky on March 15" and Lo! -- Good ol' Google! It was Jupiter and Mercury. (left and right photos, respectively - Images Wikipedia) Of course, what we saw didn't look like the photos above, since those were taken from space probes and huge telescopes; they were much more beautiful, shining in the light cast on them from the already invisible sun.

These two planets will appear in close proximity for the next few days then (Jupiter, at least) will be gone from sight for quite some time. I found the information at earthsky.org very interesting. If the skies are still clear tomorrow night, I may get out my binoculars and have a closer look.

This day started out with heavy overcast and very chilly. The Spring-like temperatures of last week have gone with the wind... literally. However, though it's still very cool, the sun came out in full force some time after noon, and the skies cleared completely. It turned into a beautiful, if brisk, day.

Since I didn't start composing this post until long after my bedtime, I'm ready to call it a night.

Tomorrow is also a day.

More 1999 Books

2011-03-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

(Dover clip art)

The books I read in March, 1999:

Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Strange Brew - Kathy Hogan Trocheck
The Cobra Event - Richard Preston
The Eleventh Plague - John Marr, John Baldwin
Name Withheld - J.A. Jance
Pest Control - Bill Fitzhugh (funny, funny, funny - my opinion)
Curses - Aaron Elkins
Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing - Lynda S. Robinson
Stone Angel - Carol O'Connell

Murder, mayhem, comedy, psychological drama, ancient Egypt, medical thriller/mysteries, and the intriguing life of a geisha. What a mix!

I don't know why I didn't think to provide links to the books I listed in my previous posts, here and here, but you might be curious enough to check them out. The links are to Amazon.com, but your local library should have, or be able to obtain, a copy of any book in which you might have an interest.

Tomorrow is also a day.*

* A short, closing sentence I picked up from reading about Luis Mendoza, Detective Lieutenant, Central Homicide, Los Angeles Police Department, a fictional character in the (now sometimes politically-incorrect) police procedural novels by Dell Shannon (Elizabeth Linington.) There are, I believe, 37 books in the series, published from 1960 - 1986; I've read them all. Lt. Mendoza didn't have a lab full of CSI-type folks analyzing minute traces of DNA in things left at the crime scene; forensic investigation was limited to fingerprints, ballistics, and blood-type analysis. Lt. Mendoza, like Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, used his "little gray cells" to bring criminals to justice.

Today's Flowers - March 13

2011-03-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

Common Milkweed
Asclepias Syriaca

A plant with a 'common' name has uncommonly beautiful, and fragrant, flowers. I took this photo in July, 2010, at the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, located about 20 miles southwest of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Today's Flowers is a weekly Meme created by Luiz Santilli, Jr. and currently hosted by Luiz Santilli, Jr., Denise in Virginia, Laerte Pupo and Sandy Carlson. I invite you to visit Today's Flowers to see lovely flowers from all around the world. If you have a flower photo of your own to share, information about how to participate in the weekly meme may be found on the 'Procedure' page.

Happiness Is...

2011-03-12T20:49:00.002-06:00

Images copyright Stampin' Up!
card created by Pat -Arkansas

I'm happy tonight because:

(1) The Diocesan Convention in Little Rock is over. Our church was in charge of 'hospitality', meaning coffee, tea, fruit, veggies, cookies and snacks of all sorts. We didn't have to provide the noon meal; it was a catered box lunch. I served behind the scenes washing dishes for over five hours. Let me hasten to say that I actually like to wash dishes. The convention had 300 attendees, and I washed about 1,200 glass coffee cups, and sink after sink full of water glasses, silverware, serving utensils, serving trays, bowls, etc.

(2) Stamp Camp has come and gone. My stamping partner got the show underway since I was still at the convention, but I arrived in time to do a bit of visiting with the attendees and to help take it down and pack it up.

(3) Gardening Daughter's husband called right after noon and invited me to have supper with the family since he knew I was working at the convention and Stamp Camp most of the day and probably wouldn't feel like preparing a meal. I gratefully accepted. Good supper!

(4) Gardening Daughter rubbed my feet before I came home.

(5) I have already set all my clocks ahead for Daylight Saving Time (which I abhor!) and have set my alarm clock for a reasonable hour.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Do I Need to Mow?

2011-03-11T17:54:00.000-06:00

A brief excursion to the back yard this afternoon reminded me that I need to do some yard work! At least in this section. The area under the bird feeder has been visited again by whatever critters are finding it so attractive. I raked up another batch of grass clumps, fifteen or more, while I was out. Methinks I need to stay up one night and peer out the window to see if I can spy the culprit(s).

Sunshine today and through Saturday, then more rain. Ah, well. It's coming on Spring!

Tomorrow is also a day.

Too Pooped to Pop

2011-03-10T22:09:00.001-06:00

Internet Image

Or to post.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Quiet Day

2011-03-09T21:35:00.000-06:00

Today was spent quietly. I assisted with two Ash Wednesday services at my church, one at noon, the other at 6:30. Before, and in between services, I worked on cutting paper and assembling card parts for the Stamp Camp that's coming up on Saturday.

I had the pleasure of my granddaughter Sweetie's company for a couple of hours in mid-afternoon while her mother was on an errand. Sweetie was a bit under the weather, "I have allergies, or something, Grandma," and was mostly quiet. We watched a bit of the older Disney movie The Lion King, but it didn't hold her interest (she's probably seen it a dozen or more times) so we moved on to other things.

While working in my craft room, which has windows from which I can see into the back yard, I thought I spied a new visitor to my bird feeder. It was colored exactly like a male Northern Cardinal, but I couldn't see a crest on its head. I watched it for some minutes -- rounded-top head, no crest. I came to the computer to see if I could find any reference to such a thing. No. When I went back to the windows, I saw it again at one of the feeders. It grabbed a seed and flew into a nearby bush and POP! Up went the crest! I didn't know that Cardinals could relax their crest feathers that way.

That's about it. I lead such an exciting life!

Tomorrow is also a day.

A Slow News Day

2011-03-08T21:00:00.000-06:00

Item: Whatever tore up my yard night before last must be something other than armadillos. I blocked the entrance yesterday, but there was still more turf dug up this morning. Since it was pouring rain, I didn't go out to investigate more closely. Perhaps, as Abe Lincoln suggested in the comments following that post, it might be raccoons doing the digging.

Item: It has rained -- all day. I've worked on making cards -- most of the day.

Item: I attended the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper at church tonight. We had a really great turnout; the cooks were kept busy dishing up pancakes, sausage patties and scrambled eggs. A good time was had by all. Earlier this evening, I read an interesting post about Shrove Tuesday, by Elizabeth of Yorkshire, UK.

Item: Made a brief trip after the supper to my stamping friend's home to finalize the plans for this Saturday's Stamp Camp. It was still raining, but not heavily, and the driveway to her home had about two dozen huge worms crawling on it; some long and skinny, some long and as big around as my little finger. Rain and warm weather must have brought them out. She told me that her dogs will probably eat the worms tomorrow, but only if they are dead. (I warned you that it was a slow news day.)

Tomorrow is also a day -- Ash Wednesday.

Blown-Up Yard

2011-03-07T17:53:00.000-06:00

When I glanced out my kitchen window this morning, I discovered that the grass under one of my bird feeders had been disturbed -- to put it mildly. It actually looked like it had been blown up by tiny bombs. There were shallow holes where grass had once been, surrounded by mounds of grass with the roots still attached, as though they had been exploded from the earth. These holes covered an area about four feet by six feet, shown in the photo as dark mounds from just to the left of the shepherd's crook holding the bird feeder to the right edge.

I suspect the dirty work was done by Armadillos in search of worms and grubs. I've had them in the yard once before, early last fall. Gardening Daughter and I found a large burrow/hole beside a dead tree stump through which we believed they had entered the yard. At that time, we filled it with clay-based cat litter, small to moderate sized fallen tree limbs, and yard dirt, and I didn't see any more evidence of them until today.

This afternoon, I looked beside the old tree stump and, sure enough, there's a hole that must go all the way to China. I've stuffed the hole almost to the top, again, and placed a large clay pot in the remaining opening. I'll at least be able to tell if the pot has been moved.

I don't mind the Armadillos looking for food, but I do mind their tearing up the ~~green weeds~~ grass around the feeder.

It's just one exciting thing after another.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Today's Flowers - March 6

2011-03-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

I am truly sorry that I do not know the name of this magnificent Bearded Iris. It's one of several gorgeous flowers of that species that grow in my Gardening Daughter's yard, and one of the most striking blooms of its type that I have seen. I'm growing very fond of Iris although I have only two or three varieties in my garden. I hope to be able to add to my collection when my daughter divides her clumps.

Today's Flowers is a weekly Meme created by Luiz Santilli, Jr. and currently hosted by Luiz Santilli, Jr., Denise in Virginia, Laerte Pupo and Sandy Carlson. I invite you to visit Today's Flowers to see lovely flower photos from all around the world. If you have a flower photo of your own to share, information about joining the group may be found on the 'Procedure' page.

Soft

2011-03-05T15:49:00.004-06:00

Have you ever felt chinchilla fur? Maybe -- maybe not. I'm not questioning that you may have touched a chinchilla, or a chinchilla pelt but, if you have, take a minute to think about the experience. Can you honestly say that you felt the fur? Inquiring minds want to know.

Years ago, one of my coworkers at the bank was a fellow who raised chinchillas for their fur. He had a lovely wife for whom he had some chincilla pelts made into a cape. The day he picked it up from the furrier, he brought it to my office for me to see... and to touch. I thought that I had a fully active and sensitive set of fingertips, but while I could see that my hand was touching the fur, I experienced no tactile sensation at all; the fur was so soft I could not feel it. It must be quite like touching a cloud.

While I was on Sweetie Duty a few days ago, I started working on another Prayer Shawl, a ministry of our church. I had noticed last Sunday that there was only one shawl left in our cabinet. It's amazing how many shawls are made by a relatively small group of participants, and also amazing how many have gone out the door to folks who have a need for them (anyone from the church may take a shawl to give away; they do not have to participate in their creation.)

In my stash were six skeins of an extremely soft yarn of variegated pastel colors, pictured above. I can feel it with my fingers, so it's not as soft as chinchilla fur -- which is what got me started on my earlier train of thought -- but it is very, very soft, and a real pleasure to work with. I cannot knit properly, so I crochet to create my shawls. Crochet is, to me, much easier than knitting, and it's much easier to correct any mistakes I might make and, being a relative novice, I make mistakes.

I've used about a skein and a half of yarn, so far. I've discovered, through making other shawls, that it takes six skeins of this size to make a shawl of ample proportions (if it will wrap around my frame, it is ample.) Since we don't know the size of the persons to whom the shawls will go, it's much better to err on the ample side than to have a skimpy shawl.

For me, working on a shawl is generally an evening activity, though I have been known to pick up one in progress when I just need a break during the day and don't care to read or watch TV. Using my hands calms my mind.

If you knit or crochet, or create fabric in other ways (a few of our shawls were light-weight quilts of shawl dimensions), you might want to investigate the Shawl Ministry. It's a good thing.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Whiny Cats & Other Things

2011-03-04T15:57:00.000-06:00

I may have made a big mistake yesterday, letting the cats out into the yard. They have whined and cried since I got up this morning. They were up in the craft-room windows that overlook the yard multiple times, having cat-fits when they saw a bird or a squirrel. I spent much of the morning and early afternoon working in the room making cards; their almost constant caterwauling was distracting.

Missy Sweetie Pie

Squeak

I really don't have any objections to their going outside again, except that: (1) I always go out with them to keep watch and I have work to do which must be done inside; (2) there is no sunshine today (thunderstorms expected tonight and tomorrow); and (3) it's too cool for me to leave the door open to the back yard so that they can have unrestricted access to their 'safe house,' should they become frightened -- which they sometimes do, especially when my good neighbor's dog comes to the fence. Bear, a good-sized German Shepherd, doesn't much care for cats, seeing them only as objects to be chased. I hate to think what he could do with his massive jaws if he ever caught one.

I failed to mention in yesterday's post that Good Neighbor is feeding me, again. Last week, she brought some delicious tea cakes to the front door. Yesterday afternoon, while I was working in the yard, she came to the fence with a loaf of freshly baked banana-nut bread and a jar of raspberry jelly. I've eaten several slices of the banana bread, but haven't opened the jelly yet. I'm not quite sure how raspberry and banana would taste if eaten together; it might be delicious.

Lest you think I am "a taker" only, the food offerings are not all one-sided. She has a hot-tooth, like I do, and I when I make chili, an enchilada casserole, or some other spicy dish, some of it usually finds a way to her table. She can outdo me, hands down, when it comes to desserts, so except for a few Christmas cookies, I usually don't carry sweet stuff to her door. Her banana pudding is soooo good that I've offered to buy all the ingredients any time she gets the urge to make one.

Hmmmmm. The house is quiet. The cats must be exhausted from all their unfruitful activity and are sound asleep, no doubt storing up energy for pleading for liberty again in the morning. We shall see what we shall see.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Bits & Pieces: Mostly Cats

2011-03-03T17:31:00.003-06:00

Tropicanna Canna Lily

It won't be long until I see this, again!

It has been a beautiful day here, today. The sun is shining, the air is balmy, and if there is movement in the air, it's very gentle; no blustery winds this third day of March.

It is 71 degrees (F) as I write this. Earlier this afternoon, I worked for a few minutes clearing dead leaves and newly-grown weeds from the flower bed that contains my Tropicanna Canna Lilies. The lilies appear to have multiplied like rabbits over the winter; new shoots are springing up all over the bed. The corms must divide themselves by running underground, for there is new growth where I know, absolutely, I did not plant. It appears that I need to be thinking seriously about an expansion bed. I'll consult Gardening Daughter about the most proper place.

It was such a lovely afternoon that I let my cats come out into the yard with me while I raked up the debris generated from cleaning the flower bed. Squeak, Missy and Sweetie Pie are, for 99.9% of their time, strictly indoor cats. I live on a residential street that is not "a busy thoroughfare," but much of the traffic does not obey the posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour. I too often see the corpses of squirrels and birds who were not fast enough to get out of the way. It saddens me to see them; I don't think I could stand for the victim of a careless driver to be one of my cats. They are allowed outside only when I can keep a close eye on them.

Sweetie Pie appears to have designated herself my ‘yard guard.’ She accidently, I think, discovered the neighbor's cat, Maggie, hiding under the storage shed. Much hissing and yowling (from Sweetie Pie) ensued, and with her tail bushed out to ten times its normal size, she chased Maggie until she (Maggie) jumped the fence, then waited, hissing, until she disappeared around the corner of her own house. Quite satisfied with herself, Sweetie Pie made a quick dash up a large tree that stands on my side of the fence line. She rested in a large crook about 8 or 9 feet above ground, the Queen of All She Surveyed. I kept a close eye on her, for she easily could have gone from her perch into the neighbor's yard, which is not fenced, and might have led me on a merry chase to recapture her.

Eventually, I herded the other two cats back into the house, but had to entice Sweetie to within range of my grasp; she was not cooperative.

The three of them are now resting from all the excitement. I'm resting by composing my blog post.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Things Past, Things to Come

2011-03-02T14:44:00.003-06:00

Reminders of Last Year's Blooms - Autumn Clematis, Carolina Jessamine, Sedum

New Growth - Magnolia, Daffodil, Lilac, "Oklahoma" Rose, "Knockout" Rose, Carolina Jessamine

The air was balmy and the sun shining brightly when I took my "lunch break" today, so outside to my back yard with the camera I did go. A close look revealed evidence of last year's flowers and the promise of flowers to come.

My Carolina Jessamine vine, which covers about 20 feet of the fenceline on the east side of the yard had some dried seed pods on it. These are pictured bottom-left on the first photo. I don't recall ever before seeing these; I think they're interesting.

The obstreperous squirrels have broken several of the stalks on my King Alfred daffodils as well as a still-supple limb on the Magnolia tree. The latter, which had several buds on it, was connected to the tree only by a minute bit of bark and a gentle tug on my part severed its connection. The squirrels can now munch on the emerging blossoms to their hearts' content without having to climb the tree.

I enjoyed another round of "Sweetie-Duty" this morning while Gardening Daughter worked a few hours at the florist. Sweetie is very fond of using Google to look up things in which she has an interest. I'm teaching her to use the keyboard to enter her own searches. That activity helps teach her to spell, also. Today's searches included "One-Eyed Willie" the pirate, weasels, ferrets and prairie dogs. She was aghast to learn that ferrets love to dine upon prairie dogs.

Lunch break is over. Tomorrow is also a day.

My Den of In-Ink-quity ...

2011-03-01T18:13:00.002-06:00

... is otherwise known as my craft room. When I first occupied this house in 1990, the room, which is located just off the kitchen and contains the doors to my back yard and to the carport, was set up as my den. The furnishings included a sleeper sofa, a comfortable recliner, a side-chair for extra visitors, bookshelves that actually held books, and a television set.

In 1999, I discovered the world of rubber stamping, and my cozy den soon became a thing of the past. When I first started stamping, most of my supplies would fit into my office closet. It didn't take long for me to outgrow that space, so I soon converted the den into my stamping room. Over a period of several years, I've managed to fill it almost to capacity.

Four eight-foot shelves that hang on the wall, plus several free-standing units, hold boxes of stamps and stamp sets, which after 12 years of acquisition are too many to count. Multi-drawer units, about a dozen of them, hold papers, ribbons, embossing powders, and other accessories. Three six-foot tall bookcases line the back wall. Tools of the trade occupy the shelves of one of them. Boxes of envelopes, reams of specialty cardstock and other 'have-to-have' items almost fill the other two.

Gardening Daughter helped me convert an old library table into my stamping surface. The sturdy table, which made the journey from New Mexico to Arkansas in 1950, has been raised another 6" on wooden blocks to allow me to stand to stamp, which is sometimes preferable, or to sit on a bar-stool and have the surface at the proper height. The top is fitted with a 3' x 5' piece of three-quarter inch plywood, upon which I stamp, and where I keep my most often used supplies (inks, pens, colored pencils, glue, tape, scissors, bone folders, a small paper cutter, etc.). Several drawers of the legal size file cabinet next to the table hold yet more card stock, the colors I use most often.

Between the stamping table and the back wall is a revolving, four-sided cabinet with shallow shelves on which I store additional ink pads and other items. (A few of the shelves, and a few of my ink pads, are shown in the photo above. Someone, not a stamper, once asked me why I had so many ink pads, to which I replied, "They are all different colors!)

When I walk into this room, I am completely surrounded by my ~~obsession~~ hobby.

What brought all this on, you may ask? I’m in the midst of preparing for another Stamp Camp. I will be up to my eyeballs in paper, ink, and stamps for the next couple of weeks.

I’m not abandoning my blogging, however, since it will be a relief to write about something other than stamping. Aren’t you glad (that my posts will not be about stamping)?

Tomorrow is also a day.

Oh Wind, That Sings So Loud a Song

2011-02-28T18:58:00.001-06:00

My wind chimes serenaded me with sweet and constant melody most of the afternoon. The strong east wind spoke, only a day prematurely, of “March coming in like a lion.” Dry leaves, carefully raked into neat rows only a few days ago, danced with the wind until exhausted, then fell to the ground, scattered in disarray. Early in the day, a sky-watcher would have seen only a few shards of blue peeking through scudding clouds.

As I write this at twilight, the air is still. The clouds have gone, the sky overhead colored with only the ghost of their silver linings. The afternoon's brilliant sun has disappeared from view, leaving behind, on both western and eastern horizons, a fleeting tint of orange surrounded by pale lavender. I think it's going to be a lovely night.

Not today's sunset, but much like it.

Listening to the wind this afternoon reminded me of one of my favorite childhood poems.

The Wind

Robert Louis Stevenson

I saw you toss the kites on high

And blow the birds about the sky;

And all around I heard you pass,

Like ladies' skirts across the grass

Oh wind, a blowing all day long,

Oh wind, that sings so loud a song!

I saw the different things you did,

But always you yourself you hid.

I felt you push, I heard you call,

I could not see yourself at all

Oh wind, a blowing all day long!

Oh wind, that sings so loud a song!

O you that are so strong and cold,

O blower, are you young or old?

Are you a beast of field and tree,

Or just a stronger child than me?

O wind, a blowing all day long,

O wind, that sings so loud a song!

Tomorrow is also a day.

Tiny Todd Asiatic Lily

2011-02-27T09:34:00.001-06:00

Lilium asiaticum 'Tiny Todd' PP16170

Last year, I planted several of these pretty pink Asiatic lilies in a bed on the west side of my carport. They seem to enjoy the bright sun they get during the day and they, in turn, brighten my day when they start to bloom. Although the plants are relatively short, the blooms are not tiny, as the name might lead you to believe, but are are about 4.5" across, not as large as some lily blooms, but still of substantial size.

I've been checking periodically to see if there are signs of new growth. I hope they overwintered and will bloom again, even more abundantly.

Today's Flowers is a weekly Meme created by Luiz Santilli, Jr. and currently hosted by Luiz Santilli, Jr., Denise in Virginia, Laerte Pupo and Sandy Carlson. I invite you to visit Today's Flowers to see lovely flowers from all around the world. If you have a flower photo of your own to share, information about joining the group may be found on the 'Procedure' page.

Alternative Transportation?

2011-02-26T22:58:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking seriously about buying an adult tricycle. My sense of balance is no longer adequate for riding a two-wheeler, but I could probably manage a three-wheeler. The Schwinn Meridian Tricycle pictured at left looks like something I could handle.

My bank, the library and a supermarket are all within easy pedaling distance of my home, and on relatively level ground. I might turn into the 'little old lady who only drove her car to church on Sunday.'

I had to run some errands this afternoon that required using my car and, gasoline prices being what they are these days, I tried to make the rounds in the shortest distance possible. No longer can I afford to just jump in the car to take a casual drive. The budget won't stand it.

I can remember buying gasoline for $0.19 per gallon, for even less if there was a 'gas war' on. (Yes, I'm older than dirt.) While gasoline prices are not yet quite as high as they were a couple of years ago, it makes me shudder to see that the price boards over the gas station have increased by ten to fifteen cents per gallon in a couple of hours. Gas prices here have gone up more than $0.50 per gallon in the last two weeks. :::sigh:::

Tomorrow is also a day.

Nothing Doing

2011-02-25T21:06:00.000-06:00

Image - Dover Clip Art

What I Didn't Do Today

I didn't wash the dishes;

I didn't even cook.

In keeping with my wishes,

My nose was in a book.

* * *

Tomorrow is also a day.

Liquid Sunshine

2011-02-24T20:05:00.005-06:00

There are no dry bones around here today! The part of town I live in received 1.5 inches of liquid sunshine in a willy-waw (deluge with high wind) that lasted only about thirty minutes. We need the moisture, so I didn't mind it raining, but since it fell so fast and furious, I was a little bit concerned that the street on which I live might experience high water. I shared a photo of what my street looks like after a downpour in this post. However, since I wasn't at home to watch the water rising, I didn't spend much time thinking about it -- I was on high ground at Gardening Daughter's home.

I had "Sweetie"- duty this afternoon. My daughter and other members of her local garden club have been working for the past two days at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, making preparations for their participation in the 2011 Arkansas Flower and Garden Show, which begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday. Since my son-in-law works the second shift at his place of employment, when she has to be away from home in the afternoons, I gladly stay with my granddaughter (nick-named "Sweetie," - not to be confused with Sweetie Pie, my cat). She and I have a great time together, although today she was feeling the effects of a tummy upset and took a long nap.

Sweetie's older sister, who is a junior in high school, is very active in the school's Junior ROTC, which is assisting in a community event at the Senior Citizens Center tonight. They were to report, in uniform, at 5 p.m., which time just happened to be in the midst of the deluge. We had to dart between the raindrops to get into my car, which was parked under a deep carport, sheltered on three sides. The wind blew the rain from the entrance of the carport all the way to the back door of the house. Wooie! Getting her to her destination provided me with a thorough washing of my car; I don't think a paid power-wash could have done any better. The rain all but scoured the paint. It should gleam like liquid sunshine tomorrow.

Gardening Daughter got home around 6:30, and I got back to my house around 6:45. I could see no evidence that high water had been in my yard; I must remember to thank the city fathers for improving the drainage system.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Dry Bones

2011-02-23T22:00:00.000-06:00

Image - Wikipedia

Except for theme posts which recur on a regular basis, I don't create my posts in advance. Folks who visit here generally find a few (or more) words about what's been on my mind on the date in question. I was occupied with other matters much of the day, and didn't give much thought to a suitable subject for Wednesday, February 23, and here it is, fast approaching Thursday, February 24.

Since returning from the mid-week service at church, I've been digging around in the nooks and crannies of my memory trying to think of something of interest (to me, at least) for today's post. No luck. Since I've been posting daily since the first of the year, I told myself that I was just having a 'dry spell,' and was just about to give up and go to bed when the word 'dry' made me think of 'dry bones.' Those two words, in turn, made me think of a song my brother and sisters and I used to sing when we were kids, just for the fun of it, trying not to get the sequence of the bones mixed up. My thought processes may seem a bit strange to you, but that's just the way my mind works.

So, to 'flesh out' the dry bones (sorry), I hastened to the Internet to find a skeleton image and, if possible, a video of the old song I had remembered. Success!

My siblings and I didn't sound quite like the group in the video that follows, but we wouldn't have -- since we were three girls and one boy, and none of us could sing bass. Listen, if you will. If you can then get the tune out of your mind, you're way ahead of me.

The Plainsmen Quartet

Tomorrow is also a day.

Magpie 54

2011-02-22T14:00:00.002-06:00

Photo prompt for Magpie Tales #54

* * *

PIECES

If there was a specific day

that I started to fall apart,

I can't recall it.

Mirrors now reflect

only worn and faded pieces

of the youth I remember.

* * *

A Treasure Rediscovered

2011-02-21T22:15:00.006-06:00

Ceylon Elephant Sculpture - Designed by Carolyn Kinder
Image - Amazon.com

Both of my parents were avid readers. As far back as I can remember, there were always shelves full of books in our homes. As soon as we children learned to read, we were given full access to the family bookshelves, and were allowed to read anything that was there. If my parents had any books that our mother didn't think quite suitable for us to read (yet), she kept them in her cedar chest or another 'off limits' place. Most of my father's books were theological, mathematical or scientific; however, his collection did contain a number of volumes of classic literature. Mother's books were fewer in number, and tended to be books of poetry, literature, and current fiction.

Among the family books that I loved to read when we lived in New Mexico was a volume containing a collection of prose and poetry. I don't remember if my mother started reading aloud to us from this book and thus piqued my interest, or whether, when I was a young teenager, I just picked it up one day and started to read. The book contained many amusing stories, poetry (some of it of the tear-jerker variety,) and many writings of an 'inspirational' nature.  One of the poems I especially liked, and read it again and again, until I had memorized it.

When we moved to Arkansas in 1950, the book came with us. It stayed on my mother's bookshelf after my father died, and eventually came to have a place on the bookshelf in my own home. I read from it many times over the years.

It came as sort of a shock to me when one day several years ago I was looking for this book and I couldn't find it. I looked in every nook and cranny where a book of standard size could have been. No book. After a few days, I quit searching, and the loss of the book gradually faded from my mind. (I still have no idea where it might have gone; I'm quite sure I would not have given it away.)

A couple of weeks ago, the poem that I had loved as a teenager suddenly popped into my mind. That made me want to have again the book that I no longer possessed. Truthfully, I had forgotten the title of the book, but not the first lines of the poem. What to do? Answer: Google! And, there they were!  With the title of the book in which the poem was contained and a helpful link to Amazon.com, as well. (Have I told you how much I love the Internet?)

Click. Click. The book,  Ted Malone's Scrapbook (used, but in 'good' condition with slightly damaged dustcover) could be mine for a few paltry dollars.

Click. Click, again. The book is paid for and on its way to me.

It arrived this past Saturday. I learned from examination that it was first published in February, 1941 and had its tenth printing in March, 1944. The material for the book was selected from Ted Malone's radio programs and a feature column in Good Housekeeping Magazine, both of which (radio program and feature column) bore the name of "Between the Bookends."

I could hardly wait to find 'my poem' (which I did; it's on page 181). I'm going to copy it below. As you read it, please keep in mind that I was only 13 or 14 years of age, and probably in the angst of my first infatuation with a member of the opposite sex, when I read and memorized this poem.

You've been champing at the bit to ask me, I can tell. Just what does the photograph of an elephant have to do with all this? It will become clear; read on.

BITS OF LIFE I'VE MISSED

While walking down an avenue, I came upon a shop;
'Twas small, exclusive, quiet, dim, what could I do but stop?
I saw an ivory elephant up high upon a shelf,
"I'd like to have that elephant," I murmured to myself.

I priced the ivory elephant and sadly sighed to see
That little ivory elephants were never meant for me.
Sometimes I pause before the shop and there upon the shelf
The lonely little elephant still stands all by himself.

For you, O Unattainable, my love is much the same;
I know I dare not love you, but I thrill to hear your name.
I dream of your lips pressed to mine, although we've never kissed.
You... and my ivory elephant ... are bits of life ... I've missed. ~UNKNOWN

Tomorrow is also a day.

Today's Flowers - February 20, 2011

2011-02-20T04:00:00.008-06:00

Lantana (variety)

The collage above is of photos I took in the summer of 2010. The various Lantana blooms were on plants in my own garden or in that of my daughter. I'm looking forward to having more of them this summer. I think they are lovely flowers, and they grow well in our climate. More information on Lantana may be found by clicking on the link below the collage.

Today's Flowers is a weekly Meme created by Luiz Santilli, Jr. and currently hosted by Luiz Santilli, Jr., Denise in Virginia, Laerte Pupo and Sandy Carlson, and the home site may be found here. I invite you to visit Today's Flowers to see lovely flower photos from all around the world. If you have a flower photo of your own to share, information about joining the group may be found on the 'Procedure' page.

The Sad Tale of Wań-tu and Cań-du

2011-02-19T02:00:00.058-06:00

Image - Dover Clip Art

Wań-tu and Cań-du were born on the same day; not identical twins, but very much like each other. Wań-tu grew quite rapidly while Cań-du took quite a bit longer to (as I've heard it said) "grow into her potential." However, in a few years Cań-du was, in her own way, as accomplished as her sister. Wań-tu, who was quite intelligent, was described as ‘Miss Heart and Brains’; Cań-du, more physically developed, was referred to as ‘The Strong One.’

During the first several decades of their lives, Wań-tu and Cań-du worked together with never a quarrel between them. Whatever activity Wań-tu could imagine, Cań-du would help her do it. They were a very successful team, and both of them were happy.

Then one warm Spring-like day -- a day quite like yesterday, in fact -- Wań-tu said, “The front yard looks very messy. In places, it is covered several inches deep with leaves that have fallen from our trees or have drifted into our yard on the wind. Let’s get the blower, blow the leaves into piles, then rake them into bags. The yard will look so much better.”

Rather petutantly, Cań-du said, “I’m tired. My back is stiff. We're too old for this. The leaves will eventually rot or blow away. Why can't you just leave well enough alone?“

Wań-tu responded, “Our neighbors’ yards are neat and tidy. They have been raked and cleaned. Do you want them to think that we have become so old that we no longer care about the appearance of our home?”

Cań-du, who recently had become somewhat argumentative, said, “All right, all ready! You’ve shamed me into it. I’ll work for a while, but when I say ‘quit,’ I mean it.”

And so Wań-tu and Cań-du worked as one for almost two hours. They cleaned the side yard, the flower beds, the walks and the driveway, using the air from the blower to push the leaves into big piles under the maple tree in the front yard.

Suddenly Cań-du, who was panting a bit, whose brow was sweaty and whose arms, knees, and back were aching, said, “That’s it! I’ve had all I can stand and I can’t stands no more.” (Lest the reader think that Cań-du doesn’t know how to speak properly, she was quoting Popeye, the Sailorman.)

Wań-tu said, “Don't stop now! We need just a few minutes more. Well, perhaps another half hour to forty-five minutes. We can do it!”

Stubbornly, Cań-du turned off the blowing machine, coiled the electric cord and carried both to the storage shed, leaving Wań-tu gnashing her teeth over an uncompleted task.

Cań-du just said, "Tomorrow is also a day."

~ The End

I'm Milking This One for All It's Worth

2011-02-18T08:05:00.000-06:00

There are times when I am floored (almost) by what I stumble across while 'surfing' the Internet. Is there anything, anything at all, that has not been recorded for curious browsers? (rhetorical question - I don't necessarily need to know that your great Aunt Nellie's bunion did not warrant a Wikipedia mention.)

Today's tidbit of information (a short read) I found while looking for 'things that happened on this date' and I felt I just had to share it with my blogger friends. It was my chuckle for the day. Have no fear; all my links are 'clean.' And, actually, what's reported was an historical event. Enjoy!

ELM FARM OLLIE

Tomorrow is also a day.

Unsteady Ground

2011-02-17T18:00:00.001-06:00

Map Source

I admit it; I'm fascinated by earthquakes. I've experienced only one -- a very small one of short duration, and I hope not to experience a large one -- but the subject fascinates me, just the same.

I live in Jacksonville (see map above). An area about 50 miles north of me has experienced hundreds of small quakes since September of 2010. The news today is that a quake registering 3.8 on the Richter Scale occurred early this morning.

I think the location is too far west of the New Madrid Fault for it to be causing these quake swarms, but one never knows. A serious movement of the New Madrid Fault would cause extensive damage in a radius of several hundred miles, which includes the area in which I live.

Should you be interested, I've included a link to the newspaper report.

As there is no other earth-shaking news, I'll close.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Mission: Success

2011-02-16T12:54:00.056-06:00

Trumpeter Swan, Magness Lake, Arkansas

We (Gardening Daughter, Granddaughter, Great-Granddaughter, and I) enjoyed our afternoon trip to Magness Lake, near Heber Springs, Arkansas. The lake, about 60 miles northeast of our home, is the late November to early March home for a flock (170-200) of Trumpeter Swans. Neither daughter nor I had seen these birds before, and the experience was well worth the trip.

Magness Lake is located on the E & W Wildlife Refuge. The area from which visitors can observe the swans is separated from the lake by a heavy wire fence which, fortunately, has openings in it large enough to accommodate the extended lens of a camera. All my photos were shot either through the fence or by standing on tip-toe to clear the fence.

We arrived at the lake around 3:15 and found it populated by a relatively small number of swans, myriad Ring-Necked Ducks, and one Graylag Goose. The photo below reminds me of a flotilla of aircraft carriers surrounded by tug boats!

Trumpeter Swans and Ring-Necked Ducks

gathering at the edge of the lake to eat shelled corn thrown by visitors

It's hard to judge the size of the swans in a photograph, but for comparison purposes, the Ring-Necked Ducks are 17" long. The swans are huge! And noisy! I wish I could have captured the sounds they were making.

The bulk of the flock leaves the lake early in the morning to graze on distant fields and does not return until just before dark. Unfortunately, we could not stay at the lake to see them. Perhaps I can make the trip again sans young children and stay until the returning swans fly in. It must be a wonderful sight to see.

Sorry -- fuzzy foto

I got only one photo of a Trumpter in flight, and that one was on the far side of the lake, taking off with a great "whump, whump, whump" of wings beating against the water. Even at a distance, though, it was easy to see that its wing-span was amazing -- from what I've read about them, the wing-span is around eight feet.

I took a lot of photos, but I found upon examination that I am more successful in capturing a flower (which doesn't move around) than I was at capturing wild life. I need more experience!

At center is a Greylag Goose, which also enjoys the free corn-handouts. The goose is about 34" long

Bottoms-Up! Juvenile Trumpeter Swan (note dark feathers) diving for corn thrown by Granddaughter

I judge this beautiful swan to be an adolescent - mostly white, as are adults,

with some remaining grey-brown feathers on head and neck.

Serene

Young Royalty

We were treated to a nice light show on the way home. I do love to see Crepuscular Rays.

Tomorrow is also a day.

On a Mission

2011-02-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

Trumpeter Swans in Flight

Photo by Gerald Plowman

Trumpeter Swan Society

A few days ago, I wrote about Trumpeter Swans in Arkansas. Today, Gardening Daughter, my six year old granddaughter, and my great-granddaughter (age 18 months) are making a journey to Magness Lake, a little over 60 miles north of where we live, to see if we can get a glimpse (and a few photos) of these magnificent birds before they depart. Fortunately, it's warmed up considerably, so we won't have to climb snow drifts to see them-- assuming they are still there.

If you can't wait to find out more about Trumpeter Swans, there's a wealth of information at the Trumpeter Swan Society website, the link to which is shown immediately below the photograph.

Wish us success. I'll let you know what we find.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Magpie #53

2011-02-14T18:23:00.002-06:00

The image above was offered as a writing prompt by Magpie Tales.
Click on the link to see others' contributions.

* * *

MEMORIES OF A SALT CELLAR

We were a beautiful pair, Pepper and I.

I still recall the day that Lucy, at her bridal shower,

tore the wrappings from our box.

How we sparkled when she held us to the sunlight.

"Oh! Joe and I will love and care for these forever," she said.

The glass-front china cabinet in the dining room,

second shelf, up front, under a light, was where she kept us

except on Sundays, or when company came for dinner.

On those occasions, she would put us on the table

for her guests to admire.

"Are these Waterford? Beautiful.

I love how they catch the light."

Then the children began to sit at table,

and we learned to dread Sunday dinners.

Knocks and spills became the order of the day.

I can't begin to count the number of times

we left trails on the linen cloth,

or were unceremoniously tossed across the table

to small, impatient, waiting hands.

All Joe said was "Boys will be boys!"

Lucy sighed.

She finally stopped urging them to be careful with us

until one sad day, my partner's shattered remains lay on the floor,

a casualty of an all too hasty "pass the pepper."

I now sit on the top shelf of the china cabinet,

pushed to the back, out of sight.

Alone, and in the dark.

* * *

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T06:00:00.001-06:00

You can tell it's been several years since I made this greeting card, because the postage stamp I used as the focal image was, at the time, current postage. I made this in a rubber stamping class taught by my friend, Sheila. I sent the original card to my sister in Virginia, but I scanned it before I put it in the mail.

I'm glad I saved the image because, as I perused my Picasa files for 'heart-y' things, I thought this one would do quite well to convey my Valentine's Day greetings to my blog readers.

Pretend you got one just like this in the mail today. You will cherish it, of course, and for a few days display it proudly on your mantel, or on the highly polished table next to your favorite chair; some prominent place where you can see it and feel all warm and fuzzy inside because that woman in Arkansas thinks you're SPECIAL!

The card pictured above is probably a more appropriate greeting for the general reader than the one I posted a few weeks ago, "Bosom Buddy." But, if you'd rather be my bosom buddy, you can pretend you got that one in the mail.

I hope you are looking forward to, having, or had a wonderful day. I will work in the church office this morning, and this afternoon I will babysit my six year old granddaughter. Perhaps we'll make Valentines for her parents and sisters and eat a few pieces of chocolate candy.

Tomorrow is also a day.

Books - 2

2011-02-13T16:00:00.009-06:00

Photo taken in the Esther D. Nixon Library - Mystery Section

In an earlier post, I wrote about unearthing an old pocket calendar/journal in which I had noted the books I read in 1999. It was fun to look at my notes and to try to remember not only something about the story line, but why I chose to read some of them.

Many of the hundreds of books I read during the slightly over three year period of August, 1996 to October, 1999, were brought to my attention through a volunteer job I had with AOL. I was one of many 'hosts' for a book-readers' chat room named Bookaccino. I usually hosted the chat room two or three evenings a week, for two hours per shift. Although it was sometimes work, it was interesting and a great lot of fun, and I had the opportunity to meet, if only online, not only readers of all genres but, frequently, well-known authors, as well. Hosting the chat room was an unusual experience that broadened my reading interests, and one I will not soon forget.

I resigned from my hosting duties within a few weeks after I developed a passionate interest in rubber stamping. When I left Bookaccino, I also left my long-established habit of reading several books a week. I found that it's impossible to hold a book when you've got your hands full of papers and stamps. I suppose I could have turned to audio-books, but listening to someone else read is a slow and discomforting process for me since I can read faster than any one can speak, at least intelligibly,

From my calendar/journal: Books I read in February, 1999.

Mortal Fear - Greg Iles
The Body in the Belfry - Katherine Hall Page
Medusa's Child - John J. Nance
The Body in the Bouillon - Katherine Hall Page
Rites of War - Cyn Mobley
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth - Tamar Myers
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime - Tamar Myers

It seems to have been a month for 'cozy' mysteries, as over half of the books listed fall into that category. It must have been a cold February, just like this month.

Right now, my plan is to create one post each month (for the remainder of this year) in which I list the books I read for the corresponding month in 1999. Forewarned is forearmed!

Tomorrow is also a day.

Bits and Pieces

2011-02-12T19:04:00.004-06:00

One of my baby sister's orchids in her Virginia home

As my regular readers know from previous entries on this blog, I have eclectic interests. Much of my curiosity is temporarily satisfied by browsing various articles found on the Internet, where I glean bits and pieces concerning things that interest me at the moment.

I already knew, for example, that today, February 12, was the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. This historical fact was reinforced by my morning visit to fellow blogger Bob Brague's blog -- rhymeswithplague. As I have an inquiring mind, I was quite sure that there were other historical items of note that share this date with the commemoration of the birth of "Honest Abe."

Following are a few of the many things I discovered (links provided, should you wish to investigate on your own):

1924 - George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" premiers at Carnegie Hall. A YouTube video is embedded below, should you care to listen.

1915 - The cornerstone is laid for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

1908 - A New York to Paris auto race (via Alaska and Siberia) begins in New York City. Does anyone else remember the 1965 film "The Great Race" starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood? I still think this is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen.

1879- The first artificial ice rink in North America opens at Madison Square Garden, New York City

1594 - Lady Jane Grey was beheaded after being charged with treason. She had claimed the throne of England for only nine days.

1773 - Savannah, Georgia (USA) was founded by English colonist James Oglethorpe.

1809 - Abraham Lincoln (16th president of the United States) is born. Note: I read with interest that Abe's family was more well-to-do than we thought.

1809 - Charles Darwin, English naturalist and author of On The Origin of Species, among other controversial scientific works, is born. There is much fascinating information about Mr. Darwin here.

1892 - Abraham Lincoln's birthday was declared to be a national holiday in the United States. (This holiday is no longer observed on this day. The commemoration of his birth has been combined with that of George Washington, whose birthday is February 22, and is now observed as Presidents Day on the third Monday in February.)

1940 - The Mutual Broadcasting System presented the first broadcast of the radio play "The Adventures of Superman."

I shall now be "up, up and away!" (Who said that?)

Tomorrow is also a day.

Hot Foot

2011-02-11T16:05:00.004-06:00

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" *

Image from Cabela's Heated Socks

I donned my cold-weather gear early this afternoon and went out to clear the snow from the area leading to my mail box. The twelve-foot walk on the north side of the house is covered by a deep roof overhang. Because of the wind, the walk had almost as much snow on it as did the open yard. The only disturbances to the blown snow, other than for a few tiny bird tracks, were the deep imprints of the postman's footwear, which had crushed and melted the snow all the way down to the concrete. However, the bitter cold had frozen these footprints into size 13 chunks of ice about a half inch thick. The broom I was using moved the snow easily, but didn't begin to budge the icy reminders of the postman's visit.

My gardening tools include shovels of several sorts but no flat blade shovel, which is what I really needed. As a substitute, I selected a gardening hoe and used it to chip away at the icy footprints. It took me a good fifteen minutes to get the tracks broken up and swept away. I worked up a sweat, and have definitely had my exercise for the day.

The next time I see my postman, I'm going to ask him if he wore heated socks during this most recent snow storm. If he did not, he's got the hottest feet in the country!

* Note: The quotation is NOT the official creed/motto of the United States Postal Service, although it is often referred to as such. I learned that from our good buddies at Wikipedia, in this article.

Tomorrow is also a day.