A feeling in the air....

This elderberry shot was taken a couple weeks ago at least....the ones I now notice are dark in color--practically black. (Wouldn't Practically Black be a great name for color?)

Anyway, seeing them is a sure sign that fall is on the way. And where we park to pick up Lorelei, there is an old sign. It had old wild grape vines growing up it and there were their possum grapes as we used to call them.

Lorelei and I sat outside and looked at the blue moon and the stars...she wants to blast off into outer space to see the Milky Way. I had not even realized it was a blue moon till someone told me.....

The sound of the of fall insects was all around...and there is just a feel to the air. Just the slightest hint that things are about to change. I am ready for fall, even though I know winter will not be far behind. Maybe we will have more snow than last. At least I hope we do.

Always fascinating...

This house is in a nearby town...right beside/with a cemetery. I have loved it as long as I can remember seeing it. I would love to see the inside. Don't you love that arched doorway...maybe it isn't a house at all, but a place to hold funeral services. In all the time of seeing it, I have never seen anyone there. Everything is always just so...
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We are off to get Lorelei after while....she has been wanting to come for days. I was talking to her mom day before yesterday and she got on the phone and wanted to come to my house...so I told her it was up to her mom...that she could come in a day or two. I told her she had to go to bed and go to sleep, and maybe she could come the next day or she might have to wait another day.

Well, yesterday morn first thing, she was at her mom's bedside asking if she could come to Mamaw's. And by then Sarah had decided it was better to way till today. I can just imagine her today. She is probably not letter her mom get minute's rest...

Better days....

This barn has seen better days, but you can definitely tell it has been a real beauty. And still appeals to me. It has good bones. It is part of a junk yard we ran into a week or two ago. There was no way to get just a photo of the barn.

I cannot seem to get back to blogging....we went to Sarah's weekend before last, then came home to router problems. I ended up calling in a computer guy to come after about the 2nd or 3rd day. He ended up fixing it in a round about way. Roger's computer was the only one affected, but I just could not do anything other than fool with it.

Then, of all things, I am starting another log cabin quilt...just a small lap quilt this time. From reds and tans/off-white materials. I have got strips cut to size...and have made my first block to make sure they fit together right. And have started chain piecing the rest. I am thinking 16 blocks right now, but that could change when I get them together.

I have finally decided on how to quilt Roger's quilt, but just have not started it yet...I had done settled on making this current log cabin quilt before I decided how to quilt it so just going to continue with it.

I think we are going to get Lorelei either later today or tomorrow...so there will be another interruption. But such a fun interruption, and there will probably be Lorelei tales to tell later.

I feel like I am forgetting something, but that is basically what has been going on around here.

A mechanic in the making...

I got on the computer yesterday evening to find these photos waiting for me...Sarah had taken them while Lorelei helped her daddy do something to his car.

Can you believe how focused she is....

Sarah says if she takes her to Harbor Freight that she wants everything.

And she is not 4 yrs old yet, and loves to go to the racetrack. I am not sure how many on her daddy's side likes racing, but I think several. Then from my side of the family, a LOT of them loves racing. (I don't happen to be one of them, though I might like it if I really knew one of the drivers.)

Our wild child....

The above was Lorelei's mode of transportation for a day or two at home...what that girl don't think of....


We were out for a drive today and came home to this little video...it is Lorelei, pretending to be me while she talks on the phone. She talks so fast, you need to listen carefully and I still could not decipher some words. (Notice her bangs...they are a little shorter than planned because she moved while getting them cut)
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So, we get a call from Sarah a bit ago...only it is Lorelei. And she wants us to come to her house....in the dark...according to her, we can get in our car and turn our lights on and see to come. She talks to Papaw and tells him the same thing...then asks, Can you come tonight? He asks her how about tomorrow, and she is finally okay with that.

But, oh, how you would laugh if you could hear the conversation, and it is mostly Lorelei with her plans. Sarah and I were laughing so hard we could not catch our breath...and during the time of it, she dropped the phone and asked, "did that hurt, Mamaw?" Oh, I think I will have to spend a month remembering all she said.
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I had been laughing off and on all day remembering when she was here, she had not had her hair combed....I think it was after her bath, but it might have been of the morn. She has long hair that gets tangled...and dreads getting it combed. Well, she was just ignoring and ignoring me when I told her to come sit down and let me comb it.

So I walk over and pick her up and swat her bottom twice and tell her to come to me when I tell her...and I go sit down and tell her to come on. She comes over to me, and places her fingers on either side of my face and tells me, "Mamaw, you are not supposed to spank me." I told her then she is supposed to listen to me....but oh, how I wanted to laugh.

I think it finally sunk in, that if she will come and be still and not jerk, that I can get her hair combed without it hurting.

Needless to say, a visit is in order...how can you resist a voice like that.

From north of here...

This is a scene from our drive Sunday...I so love rural scenes like this. Do you notice the cow paths on the left side...don't you just love how cows will only take the direct route if it is easy.

Sometimes I think we could take a lesson from animals. If a cow has to climb to the top of the hill, she rambles around and around, gradually getting to the top....eating along the way. Sort of what we call stopping to smell the roses.

Of course if everyone behaved that way, we might not be sitting in our chairs at home conversing with people all over the world...may not even have been here had someone not cared enough to work against the odds to find medicines to cure and immunizations to prevent untimely deaths.

Still, I like to think that there is a time to enjoy the journey.
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We had rain, glorious rain off and on all day. The weatherman said some in our area had as high as 2.82 inches. This time I don't doubt it being us. It was wonderful to hear the thunder and to see a bit of lightning, and to see big, huge mud puddles...and to feel it blowing in on the porches.

Just a touch of color in a green world

This week is flying by...the days come and go so quickly now. I sure notice the days getting shorter. My tomatoes are really slowing down. I made 4 quarts and 1 pint of juice on Monday...I think that brings me to a total of 16 quarts and 2 pints from our 20+ plants.

I am not going to have any bell peppers to freeze...don't get me wrong, there were peppers but with all the heat they would shrivel up while on the plant when they got up about 2 inches in diameter...maybe even before that. We did use a few even though they were not what would normally consider grown.

We have been having cool nights...last night when I went to bed Puss Puss was under the cover in my place and did not want to move. She had left just barely enough room till I could lay down--but I am sure that was by accident.

I am again attempting to get rid of some of the clutter here. I worked on that his afternoon and did get rid of some stuff. I saw other things I want to take to the auction house. We have a couple big items we are taking soon as the weather starts being cooler all the time. I think it will sell better then.

So we shall see how this progresses...every time I think I am going to get to make a good start, something happens.

Good times...

Sunday we headed north...I was actually thinking about Lafayette, or the area surrounding it, but didn't make it quite that far. We came to Big Pine Creek....and stopped two or three times to throw in our lines...but always from up on a bank. Just couldn't find a good place to get down to the water. I got two or three hits at one place...and Roger caught a small Small-mouthed bass there....
Then we came to the place above...we stopped there. We could see fish just laying everywhere out in the water...not sure what kind they were...but definitely NOT carp....I threw and threw and threw my line and got one hit from a fairly big fish.... I could see him. And Roger had two or three hits.

The first thing I noticed when we stopped and got out to look was this old rod & reel laying there...Roger told me to check it, but I was too busy. Then I saw the line move...but still just left it. Well, before we left, Roger reels it in....it had a nice sized catfish on it. Since Roger could not get down to the water to wet his hands, he didn't want to touch it. Thinks it is unhealthy for the fish...he used my needle nose pliers to release him and throw him back in the water. We left the rod, thinking some kid will remember it and come back to find it.

Notes on Lorelei's visit

We had Lorelei for three nights....I don't know where to begin the Lorelei Tales.

First, she is so anxious to get here...we meet her mom at a half-way point and pick Lorelei up there. That way it is not a hard drive on either of us. It is still a 40 mile trip home. All the way home, in between her songs and comments, she asks every little bit if we are to our neighborhood. Her mom had forgotten to pack her swimsuit and I said something to Roger about us stopping and seeing if Super Walmart had any left. No, Mamaw, I just want to go to your house...so we just came on home. (I let her wear a pair of her undies and a t-shirt to get in her wading pool.)

The first thing she does when she get out of the car is run over to see the flowerbed, and exclaiming about how pretty everything is and telling us to look at this and that. And she wants to know if she can have a flower, so I tell her yes, but to let Papaw cut it. So that is done, and we put it in water, and at first she takes it everywhere she goes...

The first night she was here, I found this video on Netflix that contained Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer. She wanted to watch it....it is a ritual to watch a movie/cartoon before she goes to bed. So we sit and watch it...besides the Rudolph cartoon, there are several other Christmas ones, with the last one being a combination of animation with real people reciting Twas the Night Before Christmas....

At the end Santa comes down the chimney...well, that starts her worrying about Santa coming here. I told her not to worry, he will come to her house and she has a fireplace. But no, she wants him to come to our house...she was so concerned about it. As we were headed to brush her teeth and to go to bed...she told Papaw 'After we go to bed, you follow the lines and cut a hole for Santa...and make it level.' By lines we think she was thinking about the mortar between bricks...and as she said the word level she made a motion with her hand to explain what she meant.

I know I am forgetting things, but the one thing we have laughed about so much besides the hole for Santa, is Friday night I was in my chair and she was sitting on the arm, snacking with me. Her Papaw had been busy, and came in and sat down in his chair. She says something along the lines of 'Papaw, while you are resting, scratch my toes." He told her no, scratch your own toes. She stretched out her foot towards him and said, "But Papaw, they're right there!" (Have you noticed she keeps him pretty busy?)

Also, while she is here, I don't know if we had to let the cats in or out a single time, except while she is sleeping. She opens the doors for them the minute she sees one wanting in or out.

These are some of the highlights. The time with her is precious...she still didn't want to go home...then on the way to meet Sarah, she told me over and over she wanted us to take her to her house, 'And Just Stay.' I always dread leaving her...but the minute she sees her mommy she is fine with it. And she be thrilled to see her dad when she gets home...
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We keep getting a little bit more rain...not any big amount but every little bit helps. And it has cooled down a lot. In the 80's at the hottest part of the day. I suppose it will warm back up more than than that before the summer is over, but hopefully the 100 degree days are done.

Just so you know

We have gotten more rain tonight!!!! God is good!

Lorelei is having a ball...she just wants to stay here...if we mention going to the store, her thing is for Papaw to go and me stay here with her. She says,'I just want to stay at your house, Mamaw!'

But when her mom and dad called to talk to her, she had to talk to Otti, too....so I think she misses them some.

At our house now

We had planned to get Lorelei this past weekend, but it didn't work out. But yesterday did. We met Sarah in the middle, transferred Lorelei's carseat, etc and headed home.
We were about two-thirds of the way home when she told me to take pictures of this big cloud. I took a few. They were pretty.
Then I just held the camera up, on autofocus and aimed towards her seat, or what I was hoping was her seat. The above shot is the first shot...I just love it. You might have to click it to see the gleam in her eye...
She sang a big lot of the way home...the ABC song, Itsy, Bitsy spider, even made up a version of the Mamaw Spider going up the water spout, and and I love Mamaw With All My Heart little tune.

Needless to say I will be pretty well occupied for two or three days.
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We actually had thunder and lightning about 3:00 a.m. and a little bit of rain. There is actually a mud puddle across the street! First time I have seen one of those things here in a long, long time. I don't think we got a lot, I couldn't stay awake to listen, but at least we got some.

Another old implement

This is another implement from Patton's Corner...Roger thinks it might have been a plow for digging potatoes and when I google the term for pictures, I think he just might be right.

Still hot here, but not the 100 degrees....and supposed to fall down til the highs are in the low 80's by this weekend. There is a chance for rain starting on Thursday night. At least that is what they are saying right now.

I got almost 4 quarts of tomato juice today...a complete surprise to get that much...but happy to have it.

Great Blue Heron

We saw this guy the last time we went fishing...he was up the stream from us, and across on the other side. He stayed there the whole time we were there which was probably 45 minutes or so.
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We have been out and gone most of the day...running some errands and to Best Buy...and we stopped and ate. It has just been one of those days where I did not accomplish a single thing. At least in the work department.

I have been reading a book called The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. It is about the Dust Bowl, concentrating on the Texas/Oklahoma panhandle area. This happened during the Great Depression, for those of you who aren't familiar with it. I have enjoyed reading it...have wondered how I would have handled the living situation then.

It was horrible living conditions. No one could get away from the dust. Even though people tried to cover up any little opening...dust found its way inside their homes. Inside their bodies even. So many people died with dust pneumonia. Babies as well as adults.

In that area, tons and tons and tons of top soil was blown away. Some of it even made it to the east coast and even on out into the Atlantic Ocean. If you want to see probably the worst dust storm of it all, click Black Sunday. That is a page of images I got by googling Black Sunday dust bowl, and then clicking on images.

As I read it I came across the name Arthur Rothstein....a photographer. I first googled his name and then clicked images...which showed enough till I knew I wanted to find a collection of them. And HERE is where I ended up at...have wasted a lot of time today just looking at the photos there and still not through them.

Anyway, if you like B&W photography and old photos, it is a good place to go...it has more than just the Rothstein collection...but that was what I spent my spare minutes on.

From my flower garden...

My glads that I got for $3 are starting to bloom...this one had finally started to open up good the other day when we left for the doctor's office. We came home to it laying on the ground. It's weight had been too much. So Roger cut it off and brought it in. I trimmed it even more and it is sitting on the back of my sink...and it continues to open up.

One thing, the package pictured them as deep, dark purple. Imagine my surprise to get this color that is more pink than anything. If all goes well, they will be a nice surprise for Lorelei later in the week.

We got a sprinkle of rain this morn...not enough to really help. Maybe one of these days it will hit here good.

We went for a drive to the north of here...didn't see a lot of anything. A marshy place that we drive through was totally dried up. Not a drop of water anywhere. It had apparently really stormed/the wind blew up north of there....it was around the Perrysville, Indiana area. There were small limbs and twigs down everywhere...and we saw some bigger trees that had been uprooted, as well as some good sized limbs that had fallen.

Photographs & Memories....

Sometimes blogging becomes a job...or more life interferes and it seems a job...and I think about just taking a break. A long break. But then I will end up looking up something on my blog, or know it is there if I take the time to look. Or, we will click on the label Lorelei Rose, and I realize it is worth so much. We can go back through some of her photos and the little videos and just have a blast listening and seeing how she has changed.

Same with photographs. I will be looking for a particular photograph...and in looking for it, I stir up so many other memories. There are the pictures of the kids...not so many of those are on my computer...but I have, or rather had albums filled with their photos...Sarah took some of them home with her. And that is okay. At least they are cherished.

I always want to photograph things to leave a record of our time. Of how things are now. For future generations. And always I regret not having photographs of how things used to be...so guess I will continue to blog.
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Roger had patches put on this week....they were put on on Monday, and he could not get his back wet for 5 days. The doctor took them off Wednesday, and we went back Friday for a final reading. If you could call it that. He had no reaction to anything. So, right now it is just something he is going to have to live with. The breaking out has not gotten real bad in a while...he will just have patches break out here and there, but not the whole body thing. So that is one thing that has been going on this week.
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I made little batches of juice twice this week...today I had 3 quarts and 1 pint. The other day I had 2 quarts and 1 pint. Not much, but at least it is some. Last week I got 3 quarts. Every little bit helps.
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We were going to get Lorelei this weekend, but will get her later in the week if all goes well.

Missed us again....

This is not from today. BUT, it got all overcast late this evening...we started watching the radar and thought at first we were going to get rain. WRONG! It slipped south of us....we did not get a drop.

Our bell peppers are not doing any good at all...we are using some of them even though they are not grown. Even though we water them every day, they are trying to shrivel on the plants.

Still hot

Still hot. Still no rain. It was not, I repeat not 100 or above today, but it was 95ºF. I did not water the garden till later in the day. With not having to mow, we have just been leaving our hose stretched out. I tell you, when we first turn the water on after the hose has been laying in the sun, we have to just let the water run out on the ground. It is too hot to hold our hand in, so am sure it would not be good to put on the plants.

We are watching a few of the Olympics...just bits here and there. I am not sure if I have a favorite part...if I do it is either the parallel bars or the uneven parallel bars. And would have loved to try pole vaulting as a kid. The floor exercises absolutely amaze me....they defy the laws of gravity. At least in my opinion.