Stars and Stripes….

I love this country. I love the people who spend, and sometimes give, their lives to keep this country safe and free. I love this flag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know who took the fourth picture, but I know it’s of the flag that flew on my Aunt Jean and Uncle Jack’s farm in Fairfield, Illinois.  I don’t know who took this final picture either, but I believe it’s from the cemetery in Fairfield also.  My guess is they were both taken by my oldest brother, Glen. They are among pictures of my mom’s. That’s very appropriate as today is Glen’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Glen!

Spare a little time…

Today was a fun girl’s day. I took Nicole and her friend, Kayla, bowling.  They were having so much fun, I decided to bowl too. Now at one time I was a pretty decent bowler, but that has been years ago.  I know that tomorrow my aching back and shoulder will make me pay for the fun I had today.

        

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to carry your cell phone with you.  You never know when something important might come up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This father and his five – yes I said, five – little girls were bowling on the lane next to us.  They were too cute. 

 

Notice the form…

 

So it was a wonderful girl’s day out. I highly recommend bowling for getting out and having some fun.   I missed the shot of Kayla when the bowling ball headed the wrong direction, but she’s okay with that.

Somedays….

It’s either the pacifier or the bottle….’nuff said.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend!!!

A little hair of the dog….

 

What is it they say about living a dog’s life???

“Yeah, right there…that’s the spot.”

When we  got her at the Humane Society we were assured she didn’t shed….they lied.

Water, water…

 

I need to get out more….

 

I need to get out more….

 

I need to get out more…

 

I need new pictures….I’m repeating myself.  :)

Things I love most….

Well, since today is a kinda special day for me, I wanted to post a picture or pictures of what I love most.  But when it came down to actually figuring out what that would be…I was stumped.  Well, not really stumped – overwhelmed is more like it. Too many things came to mind.

There are birds…I couldn’t even scratch the surface here.

View Full Album

Then there are flowers….you have to know I have so many flower pictures, I just clicked randomly – because I love them all.

View Full Album

Then there is family….I’m careful about who I put in here…some prefer their privacy.  There is just no way to put them all in here.

View Full Album

And all of the above are representative of photography – which truly makes me happy.  Here are some shots that I particularly like.

View Full Album

So, sorry to overwhelm you also, but there are just so many things in my life I’m thankful for and that I love.  I didn’t even touch on clouds, water, sunsets and sunrises.  And my newfound blogging family is one of the top things I’m thankful for…thank you for being a part of my life.

Happy Birthday to me!!

Smoke on the water…

I saw this leaf floating in the bird bath and went out to take some photos. This one was a little longer exposure and the waves from the wind look like smoke on the water to me.

Bunco and yard sales….

Sorry, I  haven’t been around the last day or two. Busy, busy..

Friday morning was all about getting the food ready for our Bunco night. I love this group of women. They uplift and support and entertain all at once.  We had a wonderful time as always. We don’t play by all the rules and have been known to forget to keep score. We don’t play for money. We have money envelopes that we put what we want to in each month and then once a year go to a dinner theatre or play or something fun like that with the money we’ve been saving in our envelopes. It was a late night though, I didn’t get home until after 11PM and then didn’t get to sleep until midnight and after.

Back up early this morning to help my niece with her yard sale. You know how yard sales are – the early bird catches the worm – or in this case, the TV for $10! So I got there by 5:30AM and our day got started. It was a great day. The weather was better than it could have been for late May and we had brisk traffic. Leslie could see her old aunt waning about noon and kindly said I should cut out. I didn’t last long at home before laying down to take a nice nap. You know the really young and old need their naps.

I’m back in the pink and ready to get at things again. More pictures to come soon. :)

Feed Me Seymour….

There are lots of young mouths to feed in the yard. This baby is keeping dad awful busy…

What do you think?

I have these two pictures of birds – one taken at the Estrella Community Lake and the other in my front yard.  They are not the best pictures, but I hope you can see them well enough to help me decide.

I believe they are both of the same type of bird – a Western Kingbird.  I feel pretty certain of that decision with the photo from the lake, but not as sure of the one from my yard. What do you all think?

Estrella Community Lake location….

 

My front yard….

They were the same size and shape.  Sorry about the bad angle from the yard. They don’t always want to sit and pose for me. :)

On the Wing…

Today as I headed out for my morning walk/jog, I had a lot on my mind.  I go later today for my second follow up blood work to see how I am doing at controlling the diabetes. I have an appointment with a vein and vascular doctor to test for PAD.  I have an appointment with the eye doctor to see if the diabetes has affected my eyesight….lots on my mind.

I listen to my ipod on my walk and I use the music to prod myself along. I may not be healthy, but I’m stubborn and bull headed. So it’s “you can’t stop jogging until this song ends” or “you have to start jogging by the third song that plays.”

I’m on the backside of my circuit and finishing my third jogging set.  I won’t let myself stop until this song ends. Finally…I’m breathing hard and have a catch in my side. I haven’t eaten or drank anything because of the blood work and I’m a little light headed.   The thought crosses my mind to turn and look behind me and just as quickly something tells me not to. I’m afraid of what I might see laying in the path behind me. What if I see my body?  Crumpled in a heap on the ground? What if I’ve died back there and just don’t know it?  The music starts again….

Breathe and I’ll carry you away into the velvet sky

and we’ll stir the stars around and watch them fall away….

Maybe I really am moving away from my body and maybe I am headed into the sky.  There’s a pause in the music and I’m comforted by the sound of my shoes hitting the ground, the wind blowing gently in my face and my shadow walking ahead of me. All of this must mean I’m still here and living and breathing, right?

I am floating away lost in a silent ballet

I’m dreaming you are out in the blue and I’m right beside you…

I’ve reach the point where I have to turn and head home. I’ll be able to see down the path behind me. Do I want to look? Whether I do or not, something compels me and I look….nothing. I’m fine – physically anyway, maybe not mentally.

Are you there

Are you there…

The lyrics are from “On the Wing” by Owl City. It’s really a beautiful song.  Now I think I’ll get my shower, get to the lab and get the blood work done and go have some breakfast. :)

A Tale of Tails….

On my walk this morning, I was struck by the variety of all the tails I met along the way.

Some were strictly utilitarian….

Some liked going al’ natural and feeling the wind blow….

Some preferred that beauty shop styled look….

And some were just glad to see me get home….

Happy Monday!!!

Things you hear around the water cooler…

I often sit and watch the birds come and go getting drinks and socializing at the bird bath and wonder what are they thinking….

This is your typical over-achiever….  “I love getting to work before everyone else. I hope they get my shower fixed at home soon.”

 

“Did you see Survivor last night? Can you believe how dumb that JT is?”

“Is it my imagination or does this taste like bathwater to you?”

 

“I know I’m the boss, but it hurts when they all leave every time I show up.”

 

“I hate casual dress Fridays. Did you see how that slut in accounting was dressed?”

Gertrude and Heathcliff…

Tracy posted a photo of her Gertrude and Heathcliff which made me think of my Gertrude and Heathcliff.  I told her I would post mine too and we could be twins!!

I originally posted this picture in October 2009…I thought it felt familiar when I was loading it.  Maybe I should rename it to Tracy and Magpie.

Girls will be girls….

Nicole has a couple of friends spending the night tonight and they were out in the yard messing around with her bow and arrows.

                                                       Concentrating on this….

You’ll see some really close shots in among the cans, but sometimes the arrow goes over the fence.  Then the girls have to do this….

 

 

It’s just a day for girls to have some fun…

Roses are not only red…

These gorgeous roses are commonly called Candy Cane. What a lovely descriptive name for their wonderful color.

 

Aren’t they beautiful? The bush was just covered in blossoms. The whole area smelled like heaven.

Part II of Monday’s Wonderful Adventure…

Remember, I told you I would post some more of the photos from the great day that Tracy and I had on Monday…well here they are.

This bench sits at the end of the pier at the Yacht Club in Estrella Mountain. It faces the west and we are sure it would be a fantastic place to view sunsets from.

The lake is beautiful. It has a walking path all the way around it.  I know it would be a great place to get my daily exercise….if only I lived there.

They grow the palm trees tall here.  Tracy was playing around with this shot using her Diana lens. I’m sure she’ll post some of those pictures sometime soon.

This is Cicada.  She’s eight weeks old and so very well behaved.  She was a real doll.  She was taking her human for a walk around the lake.

This looks like some place far, far away from the desert’s of Arizona.

I warned you….I love this flag and take a picture of it at every opportunity.

This is just a small sampling of all the shots I took that day.  I love it when Tracy and I get out to take pictures. We always have a great time.