Thrift Store Finds

These are some prints I found at the thrift store a few weeks ago.  They are numbered, signed prints by an artist named Mollie Jones.

I was going to use the frames, but once I got them cleaned up, I liked them, so Kelly hung them for me.

Live Cam of Alaskan Brown Bears

I've been enjoying this live cam of Alaskan brown bears on the Katmai River.  Thought some of you might like it, too.

http://explore.org/#!/live-cams/player/river-watch-brown-bear-salmon-cams

Monday, Monday

I gave in and bought some tomato plants and a pot of parsley this weekend.  I wasn't planning to try to grow anything this year, but couldn't resist the call of the tomato plants.  :o)  Kelly told me that she had lots of tomatoes from her plants last year because she fertilized them often, so I'll try that this year.

Ron helped me plant them and we put them on the deck stairway again.  It's nice to see them there.

Everything we planted last weekend (roses, begonias, lantana, and sweet potato vine) is doing well.  My jasmine is loaded with flowers and smells wonderful.  

Josh's school had a break last week, and he is starting new classes today.  He goes in early again, so I'm taking Reece to school again, which is fine with me.  I'll also take Aubrey at 11:15 since Josh won't be coming home for lunch this term.

*later*

I dropped Aubrey off at school, then went to the thrift store before going to Mom's.  I found some cereal bowls, dessert plates and saucers that match my Pfaltzgraff dishes, and some plates and salad plates in a pretty brown toile pattern.  Also got Aubrey a pair of jeans and a cute little plaid skirt.  Oh, and the cutest little metal plate and bowl with the cat in the hat on them.  The kids are probably going to fight over it.  

After the thrift store, I went to Mom's and took her some lunch.  Please pray for my mom.  She is not doing well mentally.  Thank you for your prayers.

Hope you're having a great Monday!

Weekend Roundup

Pic taken a few weeks ago. 

I spent the afternoon with Kelly today.  I met her for lunch at Willie C's where we had fried oysters with french fries and coleslaw.  Her treat.  (Thanks, Kel!)  They were good!

Then we went hiking.  Can you believe I went hiking?  Well, it was really more like strolling, but we walked the main trail at the park all the way up to the lookout tower and back down.  It's .9 of a mile up there, so we walked nearly 2 miles, a lot of it uphill.  Kelly let me use her walking stick.  I thought my legs would be aching tonight, but they are fine.  I walk up and down our stairs so much, I guess they are used to climbing.

We talked the whole time, and enjoyed saying hi to lots of other hikers and dogs.  It was pretty busy today, because of the nice weather.  We didn't even need jackets, and Kel had on above the knee shorts.  Mo, if you're reading, I wore blue jeans, a long sleeved red tee shirt and my black SAS walking shoes.  :o)  (Mo likes to know what people wear when they go out to do things).

I wanted to get off the main trail and hike on some of the natural trails, but when we tried it I immediately lost my balance on the rocks and uneven ground.  Kelly grabbed my arm and said, "Oh no, we're not doing this."  So back to the main trail we went.  My balance is still not quite back to normal because of the cauda equina syndrome.  Boo.

It was just fun to be with her, and soak up some fresh air and sunshine.

Here's a link about the park.  http://www.sanaturalareas.org/ep/eptrails.html

I got home around 4 PM and Reece was glad to see me.  He said, "Gramma, I been waiting for you all day!"  He went downstairs to get a snack and came back with a piece of pizza for himself and one for me.  And two sodas.  "I brought you a Zero," he said, smiling his sweet smile at me.  Gosh I love that kid.  And after all that walking, I needed that Zero.

I've eaten out so much this past week.  Ron and I sometimes steal away to a quieter place in the evenings.  Saturday  night we were going to Cheddars, but it was jam packed, so we went to the Gristmill in Gruene.  It was fun being there after dark.  All the businesses have pretty lights (I love neon lights and strings of lights), and we could hear bits of music from various places.  There was a cowboy playing and singing in the wine garden, a band in Gruene Hall, and we could hear others as we passed by different places.

Ron and Reece went to Gran's for me today.  They said she was doing fine.  Ron said Reece kept her occupied the whole time they were there.  He does like to keep her busy playing with toys and her little knicknacks that he thinks are toys just for him.  :o)

It has been a pleasant, happy weekend.  Hope yours was nice, too!

Friday Five

Our neighbor's orange tree a few days ago.

1.  We've been blessed with beautiful weather again this week.  It's supposed to rain this weekend, though, which is a good thing.  The sky is the most incredible blue, and not a cloud to be found.  The wrens are back.  I've seen one of them scouting around for a place to build a nest.  I need to clean out the wren house for them.  The old nest from last year is still in it.

2.  I had my dentist appointment yesterday.  It wasn't too bad, but I have to go back later this month.  I have a temporary filling on one tooth.

3.  The kids celebrated 100 days of school today.  Reece's class decorated tee shirts with 100 things.  This year he did pairs of googly eyes on a black shirt.  His mom helped him glue them on. It was cute, but he came home with some of them missing.  He had given them to his friends, or they had taken them off.  Wish I had gotten a picture of him in it before it was cannibalized.    

Aubrey's class made posters using 100 Q-tips.  Parents were to help.  Cyrise and Aubrey made a picture of a playground (a tree, swing set and slide), grass along the bottom, birds (bent Q-tips), little kids playing, clouds and a sun. It looked like a little kids drawing.  Aubrey colored it after it dried.  It was cute.  It said, "100 Days" at the top, and "...of fun," at the bottom.

4.  Kelly was going to come over this afternoon, but postponed it to tomorrow when Mike will be home to take care of the dogs.  I'm looking forward to seeing her.  She will go with me to Gran's.  

5.  I stopped by the thrift store after going to Gran's today, and found some jeans for Aubrey.  Her 4Ts are getting too short, so I got 3 pairs of 5Ts.  Didn't find anything else worth buying, so I only spent $3 plus tax.

Bugs and Grubs

One day while the kids were here, one of them ran in all excited and wanted me to come see a "leaf bug."  I went out with them, and they showed me this bug on their play set.  It looks kind of like a grasshopper, but its wings and body look exactly like a leaf.  He was good enough to allow me to take his picture.

Then today Josh emailed me this picture of some enormous grubs that were in the backyard under a log.  I wonder if they might be the larvae of that giant moth the kids found awhile back?  Whatever they are, they are nasty.  And pictures like this are the reason I can hardly eat shrimp.  I always think they have the same texture as grub worms. Crawfish, too.  Josh put his keys in the picture to show their size.

Eeew.

October Chill

We've had lows in the 50s the past two nights.  Brrr!  The sunshine warms us back up during the day, but it is feeling like autumn around here.  I know those of you in the northern states are laughing at our "cold" temps, but they feel cold to us.  

Ron and I saw a family of four deer when we got home from Mom's today.  They were eating acorns out in the street down the hill from our house.  Two of them were fawns.  I didn't see the buck, but he was probably around.  The little ones were jumping around and acting so cute.  The grands enjoyed seeing them (Reece and Aubrey).  Amazingly they were still and quiet, so didn't scare the deer away.    

Tonight I went out to get some forgotten bags out of the trunk of the car, and I heard one of our owls hooting.  Oh I love that sound!

My tea olive is blooming.  It always blooms when the weather is cool.  Unfortunately, I can't smell it because I still have a cold.  I'm going to try organic apple cider vinegar with the "mother."  I've been reading about it online, and it seems like it might help my congestion.  You just put a tablespoon or so in a glass of water and drink it.  You can also use the vinegar over a salad.  I like vinegar with spinach.  I got some coconut oil, too, since I've heard good things about using it.  

Ron seemed to get over his cold and hoarseness quickly, once he got home.  He was off today for Columbus Day, but the kids had school.  Their parents have conferences with their teachers tomorrow (Reece) and next Monday (Aubrey).

Reece and I went to Walmart tonight.  Every time we finish working on his sight words or writing or whatever, he asks if he gets a gold star.  I never have any stars, so tonight we went to get some.  We had to go to Dollar Tree to find old fashioned gold stars; Walmart didn't have them.  And of course he wanted a couple of other little $1 things--a pointer that looks like a little hand in a white glove pointing with index finger, and some rubber erasers shaped like cars, trucks, tractors, boats, etc.  We got the girls some girly erasers, but they were already in bed when we got home.  None of them really use the erasers as erasers; they like to play with them.  They (the erasers) will be all over the house tomorrow.  :o)

Weekend Roundup

Reece got a splinter in his foot this evening. As I was trying to remove the splinter, embedded under the skin, he frantically said to me, "Don't hurt me Gramma! I'm fragile." :o) Oh how I love that kid. He just cracks me up.

Ron and our two sons, Jason and Joshua, are away for a few days on their (annual?) father/son fishing trip. This is the second year they've gone, so maybe it will become an annual thing. I hope they have better luck this year than last. The kids are hoping daddy brings home some big fish to eat.

Aubrey's first day of pre-K is tomorrow. She is so excited. I'm sure she will love it. She's very bright and very social. She goes from 11:15 to 2:30 PM. Cammie has already told her mommy that she will miss Aubrey when she's at school. I'm sure she will, too. She is Aubrey's little shadow. You rarely see Aubrey without Camryn close behind, trying to do whatever her "big" sis is doing.

We had a Canadian cold front come through and cool us off a bit this weekend. Of course by the time it got this far south, it wasn't really a "cold" front at all. The sun was still hot, but the breeze felt cooler, and the air quality was different. Autumn is in the air. This morning the sky was the most incredible blue, and the air was crystal clear and dry. I was out on the patio and there were dozens of little butterflies in the yard, and a single white feather drifted down from the sky. So pretty.

Hope your weekend was pleasant, and that you have a great week ahead.

Walkabout Wednesday

This is my messy flower bed. Since the cancer I've not been able to care for it, and it is overgrown. But we still enjoy the jasmine (on the right), the esperanza (yellow flowers) and the most stubborn plants I've ever seen, rock roses. They will not die. I've pulled them up several times and they just come right back, so I gave up and let them take over.

Oh, that's our pretty daughter-in-law, looking for some red salvia I spied in the middle of the rest of the mess. Do you see it in the second picture? A bit of red in the midst of all that pink. It had to grow tall to make itself known.

Then there's the esperanza with the flashy yellow flowers that bloom all summer. Every year I wonder if it will come back. It looks like a stick in the winter, and is one of the later bloomers.

And the pretty red turk's cap has already passed the high point of blooming this spring, but there are still some flowers. The leaves are pretty, too, at least for now.

Love the mixed colors on this lantana that came up on its own a few years ago and has been back every year since. I love flowers that like to be ignored and bloom like crazy anyway. :o)

It was hot today, and I spent some time on the patio watching the kids play in the pool. Cool grapes, fresh peach slices and a glass of peach

tea tasted so good. I still don't have much appetite, but sometimes I crave fruit.

Yesterday evening I got in the pool with the littles. They were so excited! Whew, I was tired after awhile. They wanted to swim to me over and over again. It was like being in with a pod of dolphins. It was fun, though.

Reece had "water day" at school today. He wore a t-shirt and his swim trunks and Crocs. They had a shaving cream station, a paint station (where they could paint themselves and then be sprayed off with a hose), a bubble station, a slip and slide, and a big blow-up swimming pool. There were other things too, I think, but I didn't go so didn't see. I saw the video the kids took. They were volunteers.

Reece only has a day and a half of school before summer vacation.

Wednesday With The Grands

The kids and I spent most of the afternoon outside today. It was a beautiful day. There were birds and butterflies everywhere.

Josh and Cyrise went shopping, then grilled chicken fajitas for dinner. Josh also made stuffed jalapenos wrapped in smoked bacon. Yum! My mouth's been a little tender, but Josh cleaned the peppers so well, removing all the seeds and ribs thoroughly, so they were not very hot, but still very flavorful.

The little girls have really crazy hair. Both of them have tons of cowlicks and their hair is very fine, especially Aubrey's. I like to put their hair in braids or ponytails; they look so cute. Their mommy wants to grow their bangs out, so even though my fingers were itching to get the scissors and trim them, I didn't. Instead, I'm going to get them a bunch of cute little barrettes. Cammy will leave her braids alone, but Aubrey almost always takes hers out after a short while.

Reece got a haircut yesterday. His mommy gave him a buzz, and he looks darling. He had a red towel wrapped around him this afternoon, and looked like one of those Chinese monks who wear red robes. :o)

We still have baby wrens in the wren house on the patio, but the ones on the front porch flew away. I'm sure the others are about ready to fly, too. The parents are busy all day long bringing bugs and worms for the babes. The male has stopped being afraid of us, but the female is still a little cautious.

Reece and I worked on his homework outside. He has to do a "book report" every week, and an entry in a journal. I love the pictures he draws to illustrate the books. Later we finished up his journal inside and I discovered that Aubrey had gotten hold of his book report page and scribbled all over it. Grrrr. I erased what she did as much as I could and put a little note at the bottom of the page so the teacher would know what happened.

All in all, it's been a pleasant day. I have to go to the clinic tomorrow for labs, so I'm glad I was able to have lots of time with the grands and be outdoors today.

Tornado!

Last night I was watching the weather channel, tracking the tornadoes. My sister Johnnie and her family live in Wichita, and we have other family there, so I always worry during tornado season.

Sure enough, when I texted her Johnnie and her husband were in their neighbor's basement and tornadoes were all around them. The tornadoes seem to follow the same path every year, through south Wichita. Last night a big one was spotted on the ground about a mile from where they live. I've wanted them to move for years! Preferably to Texas. :o)

We kept in touch until the danger had passed, and this morning she said their house had no damage, but there is damage all around them. I thank God they are okay, and pray for those who were not so fortunate.

(Video from Fox News).

A Half Dozen Cuties

This is the nest of little birds in the wreath on our front porch. There are six of them, and I don't know how they are able to fit in there!

Josh took the picture tonight with his iphone. Can you see them in there? They are so cute!

Chinese Dragons and Not So Angry Birds

Reece still likes playing Angry Birds, especially the one with the Chinese dragon. He told me that the "evil dragon bumps into his eyebrows" when he dives down to get the golden fish. He says the cutest things. :o)

He likes for me to draw the different characters. When I drew the Chinese dragon, Reece told me not to forget the "sharps." The "sharps" are the pointy things along the dragon's back. I just love that he came up with his own (very descriptive) word for them.

Yesterday there was a flock of little birds in the tree in our backyard. The whole tree was filled with them. They were so cute, and moved and flew so quickly. Some were hanging onto the ends of little branches. I don't know what they were, but I loved seeing them. Today Josh said, "Did you hear that bird? It sounds so loud it must be in the garage!" Sure enough, one of the little birds was in the garage. He flew out when Josh opened the door.

The day before (Friday) we saw another huge flock of birds in the same tree. They were a little bigger than the ones we saw yesterday, and colored differently. We are in a bird migration flyway, so in the spring and fall we often see flocks of birds that we normally don't see around here. I love birds, so it is a lot of fun to watch them.

Ron has the day off tomorrow; he's having a four day weekend, which is nice. He's grilling bratwurst and sausages right now, and Cyrise just told me he got a steak for me (I'm not a big sausage fan). So I'm looking forward to supper. :o)

*Later* Yum, it was delicious.

Hope you've had a wonderful weekend.

Thursday Chitchat

We have another new baby in our family! Little Allie Brooklyn was born this morning to my nephew and his wife. She is so beautiful, and her Gramma Johnnie is on cloud 9. Happy Birthday, baby girl, and may God bless you always.

Great-Gran now has 13 great-grandchildren! She was so happy to hear the wonderful news.

I've had a pleasant day. Gran's hip is fine now, thank goodness. She said that she had "...a taste for something, but I don't know what," so we went out for lunch today. She decided on tacos and enjoyed them very much. I stayed at her place until around 2:30, then stopped at the thrift store on the way home.

I didn't find much at the thrift store, just some capri pants for me for summer and a few educational activity items for Reece and the girls. I never know if they are going to help, but I figure that they are so inexpensive it won't hurt to try. There's a box of flannel board stories, a wooden 3D train puzzle, a box of "pictures that rhyme," and a box called "Form-A-Sound" that helps teach phonics.

I was checking my container garden when I came across this interesting looking bug. I thought it was a cricket, but it was super small. Looking online, it might be an assassin bug. I don't know what the heck it is, but I hope it doesn't eat my tomato plant.

I'm looking forward to Friday. Ron will be home from Colorado, and Reece and Camryn will be spending the night. Their mommy is getting some things ready for the community garage sale their town is having this weekend. Maybe I'll find some things to take over there to sell, too.

Wednesday With Reece

Supermoon

Tonight the moon is supposed to be closer to the earth than it has been for 18 years, so it will look bigger and brighter than usual.

It looked pretty as it rose in the sky yesterday evening. I'm looking forward to seeing it tonight.

Sprouts!

I have sprouts!

This one is lettuce. It doesn't look a bit like lettuce to me, it looks like little sprouts of grass. But it's lettuce. Maybe I'll be able to have a fresh homegrown salad soon!














This one is a morning glory. I'll be moving them to spots on each side of the dog yard gate as soon as they are big enough to vine. They are supposed to be pastel colors.


Everything else seems to be thriving, too. So far, so good. :o)

Garden: The Beginning

After we took Reece and Aubrey home this afternoon, Ron and I stopped by Lowe's and got some plants for my container garden. I'm so excited!

Here's what I got:

Patio tomatoes: One just says "Patio Tomato," and the other says "Husky Cherry Red."
Regular tomatoes: Two heirlooms, "Black Krim" and "Homestead." The "Homestead" actually has 4 little plants in the pot, but I'm counting it as one. I need to read up and see how big they will get. Also a "Solar Fire," that is supposed to withstand hot, dry weather. And a "Cherokee Purple," because come on, how could I resist? :o)
Peppers: A "Cubanelle" and a "Cowhorn." The Cubanelle is a sweet pepper and the "Cowhorn" is a "long, thick cayenne pepper."
Herbs: Boxwood Basil and Rosemary.
Root crops: Leeks and extra sweet Texas onions.
Seeds: Kentucky Wonder pole beans, baby leaf hybrid spinach, red and green romaine blend lettuce, scarlet nantes carrots.
Flowers: Red impatiens, some for Mom's planter boxes and some for me. And "Pastel Star Mix" morning glory seeds to grow on the archway into the dog yard.

I forgot to get okra seeds and chives, and I forgot to look for a gate for the stairs. I'm not going to try to grow okra in containers, but have a spot at the side of the house near the fireplace that I can fence off from the dogs to use. We've grown okra there before.

We got a couple of big bags of Miracle Gro garden soil for flowers and vegetables. It has those moisture holding crystals in it, which should help to keep the pots from drying out.

When we got home I rounded up as many big and medium pots as I could find. I think I have enough for everything. I have some window box type planters that I'll use for the lettuces, spinach, and the carrots.

I didn't plant any of it yet. It's really windy out today, and the wind makes me jittery and anxious. I don't like being out in it. I grew up in Kansas, and always hated the wind there. I know, I'm weird.

I'll post a picture when I've got it all planted and in place.

Tuesday Chatter

The Michaelmas daisies, among dede weeds,

Bloom for St. Michael's various deeds.

And seems the last of flowers that stood,

'Til the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude.

I haven't done anything in the yard this year. I love to plant flowers, herbs, a few veggies each year, but with the cancer I wasn't able to garden at all.

But we have some perennials that grow without any care from me. They look a bit wild and wooly this year, but I still love to see the riot of blooms on the Esperanza (yellow bells), rock roses, salvia, four o'clocks, turk's cap, jasmine, and other plants that come back year after year.

My Michaelmas daisies (asters) were late this year. Michaelmas is September 29, and my daisies started blooming just a few days ago. I can't believe how many flowers are on the plants, and there are still plenty of buds that haven't opened yet. I love their pretty purple color next to the bright yellow bells in the flower bed.

It was hot and humid here today. I drove to Mom's this morning, then Kelly came over this afternoon. We had lunch at Las Palapas, then went to Hobby Lobby. Since I'm not supposed to sweep or mess with plants or flowers, Kelly swept up the dog hair around the dog crate and pulled the spent flowers out of my bouquet for me. Nice to have a clean floor, and the bouquet looks as fresh and pretty as when I first got it.

Kelly left around 4:30, hoping to beat the rush hour traffic, but I have a feeling she wound up right in the middle of it. I loved having her with me today.

Tomorrow she is going to pick up Gran and Teddy and take them to her house for lunch and a play date with her dogs. I bet Teddy will be happy to see his buddies Banzai, Darcy and Hunter again. :o)

Kelly will give Gran her meds, so I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow. I'm glad since I don't feel very well tonight and just threw up the soup I had for dinner. :o( I think it's time for a bath and bed.

Fall Means Acorns Around Here

Our yard under the live oak tree is covered in acorns. Ron has to vacuum them out of the pool every few days. The ground crunches when you walk over there, and if you stand under the tree you are quite likely to get beaned on the head by an acorn. Reece likes to put their little "hats" on them. :o)

I love live oaks because they stay green all winter. The lose their leaves in the spring, but only when the new ones start to grow and push the old ones off.

It's not unusual to see live oak leaves blowing out of the back of pickup trucks like confetti as you drive on the highway in the spring.

I could do without the darned acorns, though.

My friend K, the sweet lady who gave me the puppies she found on the side of the road near her house, came by this evening with her baby and two of her precious daughters. They brought us four (4!!!) meals--all homemade--mac and cheese, enchilada casserole, lasagna and shepherd's pie AND a loaf of the most delicious pumpkin bread. What a blessing! Cooking has been one of the hardest things to do since I've been home. K, thank you again. You are such an amazing, generous person to do so much for us when you have your hands full with your family. It was wonderful to see all of you, and I know the puppies enjoyed playing with the girls. :o)