Goodbye to Summer

"What dreadful hot weather we have!
It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance."
~Jane Austen   

While being out and about yesterday, I noticed the temperature

on my car registered 104 degrees at one point. 

"Carpe Diem" does not mean "fish of the day."

 ~Author Unknown 

No, and this fish isn't a carp either.  ;-)

"God has sown his name on the heavens in glittering stars; 

but on earth he planteth his name by tender flowers."

~Jean Paul Richter

This is not my flower and I do not know what the name of it

is.  I must say that I'm about ready to give up on the fight

to keep my flowers alive.  Some have already made the 

decision for me.  It's nearly Fall and time to think about

mums and pumpkins.  

“Butterflies are self propelled flowers.”
~ R.H. Heinlein

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date."
~William Shakespeare

This has been a very hot and dry summer for us, but much

too short nevertheless.  It's that time of year when we like to

take our vacation.  So, I will be taking a blog break and

will return the week of September 15 unless I decide to pop

in before then.  I will try to stop in and see what everyone is

up to from time to time, but I may not have time

for commenting or posting.  Don't forget me while I'm gone!  

Take care and I'll see you when I return!

Until next time...

Barn Charm - Tuesday

The quilt block on this red barn is called Fireman's Cross.  The

man who owns this barn is a volunteer fireman.  If I could edit out

the clutter away from the front, I would!  I still think it's a

great barn and I hope you enjoyed it.

To see some wonderful barns around the country,

stop by Tricia's Barn Charm.

Until next time...

Zooming in...

I've not taken many photos lately.  

But, when I do, I practice zooming in or closeup shots.

The moon last night was a fun target.  

Still haven't quite got the hang of the macro, even 

though some of you have emailed me trying to help.

 Thank you for trying, but I'm feeling a bit like the old 

dog that can't be taught new tricks.

If you saw our pond in my last post, you might spot a few bare limbs

  in a tree straight back from the left edge of the pond.  This eagle, which I

think might be a Red-Tailed Eagle, likes to perch on a bare limb

and I like to zoom in and try to capture him.  

Our resident Blue Heron perching on a limb in the same area as

the Eagle, but this photo was taken last summer.  It's hard for

me to keep the camera still with the zoom fully extended. 

Those of you who have read my blog for a while now

know that I love birds.  So when I saw this Purple Finch 

stopping by for a snack, I quickly grabbed the camera

and zoomed in.   

Practicing with my camera on my zinnias will be coming to

 an end soon.  The heat and drought, in spite of my watering, 

has taken a toll on them and they aren't looking so good now.  

It's time to lay the garden to rest for the season and 

try again next year.  

 Until next time...

This and That

 

This is part of our backyard and part of the Back 6 in early summer

before the hot and dry weather began.

This is how it looks now after the long, hot summer.  It's been this

brown for quite some time now.  Doesn't it look like fall already?
The red arrow is pointing to Wily Coyote who had slipped down to the pond for a drink.  
I shot out of my kitchen window and didn't get the zoom focused before he ran out of sight.   

 Have you noticed how the days are getting much shorter already?
Fall is around the corner.  This is a busy time of year for many 
reasons.   I've noticed blogging has slowed down for some and it
has for me.   I've been poring over maps and M.apquest and trying
to decide on our vacation destination since hubby said it was up to me.
Have you had your vacation this year? 

I took my aunt and uncle to our nearest city, Columbia, yesterday

morning.  My 85 year old uncle had surgery on his shoulder.  They

are quite a couple.  He worked until he was 80 and my aunt at 86 
has all the latest techy gadgets and is quite the genealogist and also 
helps others find their ancestors, often at the local library.   
She called me last night to tell me I should take a look at the moon. 
 I thought after her long, tiring day and with all that went on, she was amazing to 
have noticed the moon...she thought it looked so 
bright and pretty!!  I just had to snap this shot and send it to her. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Until next time...

A Toy Story

"Oh, oh. Here comes Peanut.  I'll bet I know what she's after."

"That little twerp is always taking my toys and hiding them."

  "But, Stormy, I just want to play with this one toy.  You have plenty of

other ones and this is not even your favorite mouse toy!"

"I'll have to just show the little one who is in charge in this house!"  

"Do you understand the rules now?  You are to ask nicely if you want
to play with my toys!"   

"Yeah, yeah, I understand.  Hmmm, let's see...I think I left the 
mouse toy under here."

Until next time...

My Favorite Bird

 We are still seeing bluebirds in our back yard.  Their color isn't quite as brilliant as in spring and early summer, but I'm so glad they are still with us after the awful happening in early May that I posted about here.  Usually, most of the bluebirds we see in the summer will stay through the winter, too.  I hope this dreadfully hot and dry summer hasn't hurt the bird population too much. 

We celebrate the beautiful bluebird as a symbol of love, hope and happiness.  

 ~ Larry Zeleny

With due respect to other birds, 

the "Baltimore Oriole of happiness" simply doesn't sound right.   

~ Bluebirds, by Steve Grooms and Dick Peterson, 1991

I found the following cute poem recently.  It really explains best why my house gets dirty from time to time.  There is just so much to see out my windows or, when weather permits, sitting on my patio.  Okay, there may be a few things to see on my computer, too!

Please excuse my dirty house
I know it is a mess
I don't have time to clean right now
I have a bluebird nest ....
  ~ Cherie Layton, The Bluebird Nut, 2005

I'd be curious to know whether those of you who don't live in the southern region and who have bluebirds at your house, if they stay through the winter months, too?  

Many of the birds go south cheerfully, indifferently, but the bluebirds seem to linger sadly and lovingly, and to feel that the migration is an enforced exile from the home they love best.   

~ Author unknown

 Until next time...

August Notecard Party

It's time once again for Vee's Notecard Party.  I've chosen some of my sunsets I've posted previously as my theme for this month's party.

Sunset over the Missouri River

 Sunset at our local lake

Sunset at the Lake of the Ozarks taken a couple of weeks ago.

 This is probably my very favorite sunset, taken at our local lake. 

To see some wonderful photos that would make great notecards,

 head on over to the party at A Haven for Vee, 

Until next time...

An Iowa Barn

This barn photo was taken by my son on his travels through Iowa recently.  He captured this on his iphone.  I lightened the color a little bit in order to see it better, the original shot was just a bit dark.  Here's another shot from a different angle below.

Be sure to visit Tricia's Barn Charm

to see some great barns all around the country!

Until next time...

Remembering...

Sunrise at Osage Beach, Lake of the Ozarks

It's hard to believe, but school is beginning for many students this week.  That means summer activities are winding down.  Pools will closing in our area around Labor Day.  A swimming pool was the place to be this very hot summer.  

 

My childhood home on the farm.

 

When I was young and growing up on a farm, the swimming pool was about 10 miles away.  In those days, my parents were too busy to run their kids to the swimming pool so we made do with what we had...a pond.  We were lucky in that the pond that we mostly swam in was located right by our house.  This pond wasn't just for swimming and fishing, it was also the source of our drinking water.  With a filtering system, of course.  We had other larger ponds on the farm and in one of those is where I was bitten not once but twice by a snake.  I was a teenager at the time and decided then and there that swimming wasn't as fun as it used to be.  I remember those teen years and how I always wanted a great tan, so I would go fishing and stand for hours (it seemed at the time) by the water hoping the reflection of the sun would result in my getting a nice tan.  Not.  I didn't realize then that fair-skinned people like myself just don't tan that easily.    

Back at the pond in the photo above...I'll have to share how I learned to swim.  I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone, though.  My dad took me out to the middle of the pond and let me go.  I flailed about and swallowed some water, but I got those arms and legs moving and made it to the shallow side.  After that, I took to the water like a duck.  It can't be seen in the photo above, but just to the left was a dock that my older brother built and on the right was a diving board he also made.  The dock lasted a long time, the diving board didn't.  We also made use of some inner tubes to float on.  Ah, the good old summertime.  After swimming, we were always hungry and then ready for a nap.  Fast forward to today, some things haven't changed.  I may not swim much, but I'm always hungry and ready for a nap!! 

Until next time...

Back to Madison County, IA

As promised in an earlier post, I'll share who the famous star was that was born in Madison County, Iowa.  A few of you guessed John Wayne correctly.  The house above is where he was born in Winterset, Iowa.   These photos are from a series of pics my son took on his iphone while driving through Iowa. 

John Wayne was mostly known for the many westerns he starred in.

My hubby is a big fan of westerns.  I usually like them, too, as many of them have gorgeous scenery. 

Do you enjoy watching western films and do you have a favorite John Wayne movie?  

Until next time... 

A Double Rainbow and Plans

"Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue..."

It thundered a time or two last night and then the rain began.  Only to last a few minutes...sigh.  Earlier, in Kansas City, my son happened to be driving through a nice shower and snapped this photo of a double rainbow.  Doesn't his iphone take wonderful shots, even from inside the car and through the windshield?  I love that Old Glory is proudly waving in front of the rainbow!

 We haven't gotten very far from home all summer, unless you count the Lake of the Ozarks and a few day trips.  It's just been too hot to even think about a big vacation.  Well, I must admit I've thought about it, but haven't been motivated to plan anything.  That time is looming on the horizon...as in a few weeks.  We are planning a 2 week trip somewhere.  We're tentatively planning on a repeat trip out west following much the same route as we did a few years ago.  It was a fabulous trip and we got to see a lot of beautiful places such as the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Hoover Dam, to name a few, and we'd love to see these wonderful places again.  I love the scenery out west!  

But, there's a lot of other places that I haven't been that are also calling my name.  Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands are on my bucket list.  So are the Smoky Mountains.  And, of course, there's Branson...where I have been many times but dearly love...and just relaxing in the condo and taking in a few shows and Silver Dollar City sounds good.  Maybe taking a little jaunt down to Eureka Springs in Arkansas.  I doubt we would want to stay there a full 2 weeks, though. 

 Do you know that in 41 years of marriage, this will only be my second vacation that has lasted 2 weeks?  Well, third if you consider we took 2 weeks last summer with a week or so break in between trips.  We went to Branson for a week, then later drove through part of Arkansas and into Tennessee.  My hubby was recovering from his heart attack and we didn't want to get very far from good medical facilities.

HELP!!  Hubby says any of these destinations would be fine with him, I get to choose!!  Do you know how tough it is for me to choose when I have 2 or more choices??  Okay, I have to ask.  If you were/are planning a vacation, where would you go?  If you were given the choices that I've named, which would you choose?  Don't worry.  I won't let your answers sway my decision.  I think I already know what it will be, but there's just the tiniest bit of indecision going on.

Until next time... 

Time for Barn Charm

This photo of the quilt barn was taken on my son's phone during 

a trip through Iowa.  Red barns are a favorite of mine and I

love this shape of barn, too.  I have a few more quilt barns to

share in the coming weeks.  I hope you enjoy them as much as

I do!

To see some great barns around the country, be sure to visit

Tricia's Barn Charm.

Until next time...

Covered Bridges

This covered bridge is in Madison County, Iowa.  It is the longest

of the 6 remaining covered bridges in Madison Co., and was

featured in the movie "The Bridges of Madison County."

My son was traveling through Iowa recently and captured these

images on his phone and shared them with me.  

Here's a look inside the bridge.

The Imes Bridge is the oldest of the remaining bridges.  

I haven't thought to ask, but I think the color in the photo is due to the reflection of the sun and the time of day.  Thank you, Brett, for sending me these images to share!  I have a few more shots that he sent me of a barn and also the home where a famous movie star, who starred primarily in Western films, was born.  Can you name that star?  I'll share those photos and the answer to this question another day. 

Until next time...

Greetings from the Lake of the Ozarks!  

My daughter and I are having a few days of fun

and relaxation on our mother-daughter getaway.   

So far we've gotten our hair cut, had a pedicure, gone shopping and daughter found a new

outfit to wear to a wedding Saturday and I found a couple pair of new sandals.

Oh, and we've been swimming.  Yes, even this ole chick has been in the pool!

It was lovely to be in the water on such a hot day!  Today started out a bit cloudy and cooler, so we thought that was a perfect time for shopping.   We're back in our hotel 

for a rest before heading out to see what else we can find to do.

It's hard to believe this is the last month of summer and hot or not, I intend

to enjoy it as much as I can!   Our little mother-daughter getaway ends tomorrow, but we're having a great time so far.  I hope you are enjoying your week, too!  

I'll be by to visit your blog soon.

Until next time...