Bird's foot trefoil and more

I just love this flower...love the color, love the actual way it blossoms. Just so beautiful!  And I can finally remember its name...

Then there is this...crown vetch. I would think they are what amounts to cousins at least.  Both are just beautiful.
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I had to make a run to Walmart to pick up popsicles, ice cream (Klondike bars), and some other snack for while Lorelei is here.  I would not want to be out of her favorite treats.  As hot as it has been, I think popsicles are going to taste good to all of us.

It is raining and thundering as I type this.  And we are supposed to have more tomorrow, but Saturday and Sunday is supposed to be nice.  I am hoping they are right till Lorelei can be outside some.

I may be slow in visiting, but I will get around to everyone eventually.

From my back yard....

A few of you might have seen this on facebook...but got to tell more details here.  I was out hanging a load of clothes this morn...it was up in the morn.  Not real early.  I was watching buzzards...I always watch the sky.  Always watch for an eagle.  I thought they were just buzzards...and I am convinced that the ones I first glanced were all buzzards.

I glanced back and did a double take...I thought there's an eagle!!...so far every time I have had that gut reaction of 'there's an eagle' I have been right.  If you ever notice buzzards, they never just glide around smoothly in their circling...they always wobble a  little bit now and then.  And their wing extend up from their back in a sort of V shape.

So, even though I had that gut reaction, I ran to grab the spotter's scope out of the Rav...but the sun was just at the right angle, could not get a good look.  Then it headed west...I thought then that I could tell that its head and tail were at least turning white...and I thought, well, it is gone now.  I am not going to get a good look.  So laid the spotter's scope on the grill and continued hanging clothes.

I glanced to the west and there this one came...head and tail feathers as white as snow.  I flew in the house to grab my camera.  By the time I got out, it was gaining altitude...oh, not real high but still higher than when I first seen him, and he was circling and heading north.  It just made my day....I did not think the day could get any better.

Then Sarah and Tootie called tonight...she told  me she was coming day after tomorrow....and boy, did she jabber.  When they first called, one of my buddies was here, so she wanted to talk to Papaw.  After my friend left they were still talking....so Roger gave the phone to me.

I would give anything if you could have heard her.  She was singing..first she was singing ''Turn the beat around"....then she started singing a made up "I love you song", and it was just as much the way she was singing as what she was singing.  Usually she sings so softly, but tonight she was belting it  loud and oh, I just cannot describe it.  Sarah and I were totally cracking up which just got her more wound up.

The heron viewing park

This is what we see from the parking area...I seldom even climb it.  On beyond it is a boardwalk out over a small section of the water.  I cannot wait to get to it.  Generally, there's only one or two other couples there, and we usually have the place to ourself a big part of the time.

 And this is taken looking back from the boardwalk. 

As you can probably guess, we love to go up there....not sure when we are going again, but hopefully sooner rather than later.

Critters from the back roads...

When we were out over the weekend, we came across these two critters...

They seemed to be enjoying the return of green grass!  I have never known anyone that had donkeys.  I don't know what their personality is like...I suppose it depends on how they have been treated.  Just like everything/everyone else.
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I always wonder why we are the way we are.  Why we react the way we do.  Just simple things.  If I am reading a book review and the word 'rollicking' is used in its description, I have no desire to look at it and that is not even fair.  It is just someone's description  But if it has certain words in the title I will at least investigate it. Do you have words that pull you in....any mention of seasons draw me, but autumn and winter pull me more than spring and summer....river is another, as well as the names of months...but even then I like the fall and winter months better...

I like to read true crime books....not all the time.  Just one or two thrown in here and there.  I always wonder why I like them.  I think I would have liked to be a detective.   Roger always loves Star Wars and Star Trek, and science fiction stuff...and good war movies.  We both like old war movies like Sand Pepples or Heaven Knows Mr. Allison...

How about you...do you wonder why you react certain ways about certain things? 

The Color Purple

Every year I LOVE these tulips....they look like velvet.  And I never get what I consider a superb shot....usually the sun is too harsh or they have fallen all over and just no way to get a good shot.

And they are not purple I have--you would think purple was my favorite color.  It isn't...it just happens I have a lot of purple.

There is also this purple iris, and I have a couple more that I have not photographed yet.  Besides the irises not photographed, I didn't take any of my lilac.

 Today I also took these of the wisteria!

Cause it makes me happy

I have posted another picture of this place taken at another time.  This was taken just the other day...it is nestled there with woods surrounding it.  Thus it is a challenge to get a decent photo.  This one has been fiddled with to bring out some of the color.  I would dearly love to stop and take loads of photos, but it is not a good place to pause for long.

There are all kinds of hostas all over creation...there are skulls hanging different place, and while I don't usually find that attractive, it sort of suits this place.  I told Roger an artist lives there.  Someone really has a good  eye....

I swear I think if we ever passed and there was someone out, I would want to stop and ask could I park in their drive and take pics.  I can never look all I want to look.

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I have been sitting looking back through my pictures...I have literally spent hours this night alone.  Looking at the pictures of Tootie from when she was a baby on....remembering all the good times we have had with her here.  Just kind of looking back over our life. Thinking about all the good times we have had, thinking it is going to be hard when Lo goes to school full time and cannot come at the drop of a hat if we get too lonesome for her. 

Looking and remembering all the drives Roger and I have taken...just so many memories in all the photos.  All these memories combined with things happening now brought this song to mind and I just have to share it.

 I know it is not the most popular.  Probably a lot of people have never heard of it, but is is one of my all time favorite songs and definitely my favorite of hers....so give it a listen if you want.



And if you don't want to listen, here are the words:

CITY STREETS
by Carole King

River wind is icy
Chills run through my bones
Tides of life are ebbing out
Between the cobblestones
The streets are on fire
With the burning sunrise
And over the water I look in vain
For love in someone's eyes

Oh, city streets
The stories that they tell
Oh, city streets
They can be heaven, they can be hell

Winter-colored morning
Gray and dirty brown
Reflecting the mood I'm in
Despair is all around
I long for sweet oblivion
To take me from my pain
Maybe bring me dreams of hope and faith
So I can break this chain

Oh, city streets
The stories that they tell
Oh, city streets
They can be heaven, they can be hell

Lovers with their arms entwined
Silhouettes against the light
A warm bed is waiting as they head home
After staying up all night
For them the city is magic
That's all they've ever known
I wish I could find the magic
But I'm scared and I'm feeling so alone

Oh, city streets
The stories that they tell
Oh, city streets
They can be heaven, they can be hell
Oh, city streets
The stories they have known
Oh, city streets, city streets, city streets

Surprised that it has lasted....

I don't know why, but I was almost amazed that this old quilt has lasted as long as it has...it is a quilt I made and gave my older daughter before she ever left home.  It has traveled with her wherever she has lived...she has used and used it.  I was so glad to see it and have the opportunity to take a photo of it...I now try to take a photo of every thing I make.

It is recycled or up-cycled...however you want to look at it.  I went to the local Good Will store, and purchased men's shirts when they were on sale.  I chose sizes that were Large or bigger.  At that time there were a lot of shirts that just screamed that they went well with jeans.  They were cotton.  They were almost new....had hardly been worn.

I brought them home, cut them apart and ironed the pieces.   I decided on to do something simple...at that time I did not have my Juki 98Q so I tied it rather than quilt it.   What is missing in the photos is there were old buttons that were at the center of the few 4-patches.  I think.  I know they were not included in every tie but were sort of random.  I think there are only one or two left...they were old buttons...

Anyway, just had to show that it is still in use after all these years.  I am pretty sure it was made before 1998....

Finished at last...

I don't am showing two different pics...because the color is off a bit in both.


The top photo is too dark...and the second is just a tad bit lighter than I think it really is...

Now the back is a surprise of course.  I like for the back to come as a surprise. Since this fabric is quilted on the straight of grain, it looks good...plus it is the side against the feeddogs.

I am so disappointed in myself and in it.  I try to convince myself that it is fine...it will still be good to snuggle under.  And it will.  But I really like for them to look nice, too.
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It has been ages since I changed the appearance of this blog so took the time and changed the color scheme.  I think I am going to enjoy the new look.  At least for a while.  

Pastoral scene....

We went for a little drive today...we were in and out of rain showers.  First it would be so dark that I would have my ISO set to 1600 and still hardly light enough to get a good shot.  Then the sky would brighten enough for me to set it back to 2-400!

Anyway, could not resist this scene.  It is not the best quality in once sense, but the scene itself makes up for a lot in my book!
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Can you believe--California Chrome won again!  I wonder if we will have a Triple Crown winner.  They were talking about him and said that when he walks into a new place, he pauses and looks around and takes it all in.  That is the exact same thing they said about Secretariat.  It makes me think he might actually win at Belmont.

Another rainy day

Little project I am currently working on in the dining room.,,those square are 3 inches finished size.
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Got up to sunshine this  morn, but it quickly clouded up and rained a little.  And has sprinkled/drizzled, rained, hailed, and almost everything except snow at one time or another.

I sewed a little bit on the project above....and started the hand sewing of the binding on the quilt.  Feels good to have it started.  I got all the mitered corners done...I always do them first.  And also finished one side.  The rest should go quickly.

Tomorrow is The Preakness...if nothing happens I will be watching it!  Otherwise I have it set to record.  I love all the pre-race stories about the horses, owners, and trainers.  How about you--are you interested at all?

From the wild side

First and foremost...these pics were taken by Sarah...while we were in California.  Can you tell she is growing.

Not only physically....

just everything about her.  She lost her first tooth while there...pulled/twisted it out by herself.  Her aunt told her how to do it and she did it with a little encouragement.

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She just went home yesterday...due to rainy weather, we did not get to go to the creek or to the local playgrounds.  However, she had no trouble staying from Friday till yesterday, and had been going to stay the night till she talked to her daddy on the phone.  She had just told her mom she wanted to spend another night, then asked to talk to her daddy.  The minute she heard his voice, she said "I'm coming home tomorrow!" and then looked up at me as if to ask was that okay...I told her that was fine...whatever she wanted to do.

One of our neighbors has a two children--one 4 yrs old and one 7...so she had someone to play with 3 or 4 of the days.  They ran and ran and pretended...blew bubbles...,and Lorelei laughed and laughed.
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I am still loving my new sewing machine and love having it upstairs.  I have been sewing with it today.  Working on a small project I have started up.  But I should have been working on the binding on my other quilt. 

From the land of Lincoln

After we left the Heron and Eagle viewing station north of Danville, Illinois last weekend, we wondered around a little bit on back roads.  Notice the lack of green there...there was a big, big difference between here and there in the amount of green showing on the trees.  And just in general.  This is about an hour northwest of us...give or take a few minutes.
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We have touchdown here...or, in other words, Lorelei is asleep.  She wanted to chatter and chatter, then she was quiet and out for the count.

I am not sure how much blogging I will get done while she is here.  When they got here, she told me she was going to stay 5 days!  We shall see!

I am not sure how much blogging I will get done...not even sure if I will get anything posted.  But should be able to do a bit.  She is a lot more independent than she used to be.

I did get the binding sewn down today...so may even work on the hand sewing part of that while she is here.

Will talk later...

Love,
Rose

A successful day...

Just had to post something bright and cheerful...but my wisteria is not this far along this year.  The above was taken April 24, 2012.  The bloom pods have not even begun to open up yet this year.  I suppose the long, cold winter is responsible for the lateness.
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Last year, we had to drive all over creation to find Brandywine tomatoes.  My sister-in-law/best friend told me about them three or four years ago.  I have been in love with them ever since. They have the taste that I remember from childhood.  I can close my eyes when eating one and almost feel like I am sitting on the front porch of my childhood home eating it.

So, even though I was dreading it, I was all set for us to have to hunt far and wide to find them.  But we went out to our local greenhouse and there they were.  I don't know why I didn't take photos of them.  They have bigger leaves than most tomato plants...look much more like a potato plant.   Anyway, we got a dozen of them and I got four of Better Boys....I want to find some other tomatoes that I like besides the Brandywine.

I love Supersonics, but the core of them just stays green for so long....so I have been trying to get away from getting them all the time.  But this will be the first year in probably over 15 or 20 years that we have not planted some of them.

I did get the quilting done on the quilt, and I trimmed it...about half the time I put the binding on the first time around before I trim it, but I am starting to definitely like trimming it first and then putting the binding on.

Anyway, always feel better when I accomplish something.

And tomorrow Tootie will get here...Sarah says she done wants to spend more than one night....so untelling how long she will want to be here.  The bad thing is it is supposed to start raing on Sunday and be rainy for 3 or 4 days.

Good Fences

For my first time to join TexWisGirl for Good Fences, at least if I can remember to link up in the morning.  I am going to use a photo taken back in February.  This is a neighbor's dog. Isn't she beautiful!











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Another beautiful day.  Another load of clothes hung out to dry. Not much else went on here.  Just a few cleaning jobs.  A few lines sewn.  No excuse for the quilting not to be done on the quilt. It is jnot quilted heavily at all...I think I am going to make an effort to finish it tomorrow.

Then Friday Sarah and family come and spend the night if nothing happens.  I think it is supposed to rain, but am really hoping the forecast changes.  I have bubbles bought for Lorelei....and would like to be able to be outside with her.

Turtle log

I took this the other day when up at the Heron Viewing station...this is the most I have ever seen on one log up there.

I have made a start at the quilting of the quilt shown here.  I am just doing straight lines so put my walking foot on and have a good start on it.  I am anxious to get the quilting done till I can put the binding on.  Some people do  not like doing the binding but I do.  The bind is the part that goes around the edge of the quilt...I sew it down on one side with the sewing machine, then flip it to the back and sew it down by hand.  the purpose is to enclose the raw edges of the quilt.  And I love the sewing by hand part.

I have also been able to wash clothes and hang them outside...love that....and am loving sitting on the front porch of the morn and having coffee.  It is beginning to sink in that spring is here for real.

Where to start?

I am not sure I am ready to start blogging regularly again.  Not even sure where to begin.  Our oldest daughter has surgery in early April....Sarah, Tootie, and I spend almost the entire month of April in California.  And I did not even take my camera...and though I missed it, it was a good decision.

I actually got back here to home in the wee hours of April 30th and for the life of me I cannot get rested.  Just weary from morning till night.  I am feeling like that tired old barn above.

That being said, daughter is still recovering from her surgery...she has come a long way since she had it, but still has a while to go before she feels normal.  With that being said, we did manage to have some good times, and Lorelei was her usual entertaining self.

I cannot remember half the stuff she said there...I think that she had one of her finest days just a few days before we went to California.  I was not present when this happened...but can imagine it real easy.  Sarah calls it her first 'Dot' moment...do you know who Dot is.  Watch the following video...Dot was a character played by Stephnie Weir on Mad TV....I had never heard of her till Sarah showed me this video and another one...


Well, Lorelei's first Dot moment went something like this.... 

They were sitting at the dinner table having a meal.  Lorelei was kicking the leg of the table.  Jeremy told her to stop.  So she paused a minute and then started kicking the other leg.  I don't recall what Jeremy started to say...or if he said anything...

Lorelei said, 'This leg is listening' as she pointed at her right leg...then she pointed at her left leg and said this one isn't.  Then she proceeded to bend down and look under the table yelling at her leg to stop it!  I think Sarah lost it and Jeremy could only shake his head!