Furbabies...and how do you choose?

Stormy and Summer (aka Peanut) are pretty much BFFs now.

Don't they look so sweet and peaceful when they are asleep?

Truman is a pretty boy and one of our outside kitties.  He was

slow to get acquainted but is very friendly now.

 

Truman, a few months ago.

 

Sissy, who is Truman's sister and another of our outside

kitties, is very sweet and sometimes gets to

come inside for a quick visit.

 

Sissy, a few months ago.

Lately, we've been bringing the outside kitties into the

family room downstairs before nightfall to spend the night. 

We've had problems with a neighborhood tom cat that comes 

around at night and wants to cause trouble.  He has already 

started a fight with Truman which resulted in a little trauma to

Truman's foot.   

As much as I love kitties, I know that we need to find homes

for some of these sweet furbabies.  How do you choose?

We've come to love them all and it will be hard to 

give any one of them up.   Stormy, of course, will stay.  I

couldn't possibly part with her.

 It is impossible to keep a straight face in the presence of one or more kittens.  

~Cynthia E. Varnado

     

Until next time...

Barn Charm

This barn photo was taken in Missouri, but I can't remember when!

Just click on Barn Charm to see some great barns

around the country.

Until next time...

About commenting...

1

One of the last of the zinnias for this year

                     

Thanks to everyone who shared their views and tips on commenting on my 

last post.  I have been trying to think of ways to be able to comment

on all the blogs I read and still have plenty of time left in my day.

I've come to the conclusion that one way to get more

commenting done in less time is to simply quit reading all

the other's comments!  But, I like to read all the comments,

because I often learn things from them in addition to the post.   

Do you read all the comments of others, too?  I love blogging,

and have no plans to quit, so I'll continue to look for 

ways to make it less time consuming. 

Until next time...

A question...or two

A wildflower somewhere in Arkansas

A question...if you don't want to answer, I understand!

How much time do you spend on commenting?

I love to comment, but it seems to take a huge chunk of time out

of my day.  Some days, I just can't get around to everyone.  Then

I feel badly because I don't like to leave anyone out.  Not that you 

are all waiting breathlessly for my comments!  :-)  I know it depends

on how many people you follow, etc.  But, I'm really curious how you

get it all done along with the normal daily chores/work.  Anyone care to share?

o O o O o O o O o O o

Don't ask me why, but I always take pics of our hotel rooms.

You heard me say that we had a wonderful and relaxing vacation.

I left out the part where my back started hurting after sleeping in 

those oh so comfy pillow top beds.  Every bed we slept in on our

trip was very nice, but much too soft and my back needs a harder surface. 

 I was really tempted at one point to just sleep on the floor!  This is one of life's 

mysteries to me...how can a cozy, soft bed that you love sinking into 

cause such backaches?

Psst...turn around, I'm over here!

My back doesn't bother me much when I'm standing or sitting,
just mostly at night when I'm trying to sleep! 
I went to the chiropractor yesterday, so hopefully my back will soon feel
much better and I'll wake up feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed  and
ready to tackle those jobs that I have been meaning to get to this week.
This week has flown by, as they all seem to do lately.  Saturday is
officially the first day of Autumn.  So, I'll say right now...

Happy Fall Ya'll!!!

Until next time...

It's party time!

It's time for Vee's September Note Card Party!

Because the fall season is upon us and because I love pretty parks with lakes,

I have chosen this group of photos for my note cards this month. 

The first and fourth photos were taken in Moberly, Missouri and the second and

third photos were taken in California, Missouri.  The California photos were among

the first photos I used on my blog. 

Please go visit Vee at A Haven for Vee  to see many lovely note cards.   

Until next time...

Barn Charm

I saw several barns on our vacation, but since I did the driving this was the only barn

that I saw where there was a good place to pull over and get a shot.  This barn is on 

Hwy 65 somewhere in Arkansas. 

A little closer look.  

Be sure to stop by Tricia's Barn Charm to see many wonderful 

barns all around the country!

Until next time...

It's good to be home...

I was looking through my photos in preparation for this post and I thought I'd show you our latest portrait taken while on vacation!  Do you like my outfit?  Sorry, couldn't resist.  So where did we go and what did we do?

With the very hot summer that my lineman hubby worked in, and knowing how tired he has been this year, I decided that a relaxing vacation was in order.  (Some of you may remember he had a heart attack last summer.)   He knew that I had planned on another repeat trip out west so that is where he was prepared to go, but he left the decision up to me.  I think he was pleasantly surprised when I told him I really wanted to spend most of our vacation in Branson.  Frankly, the heat and drought this summer had made me a tired and cranky woman and I really wasn't looking forward to a car trip of over 3000 miles.  Retirement is only a couple of years away, so we'll soon have lots of time for traveling, God willing. 

We started our vacation by meandering down south through the bootheel of Missouri and going through a bit of Tennessee and Mississippi before heading into Arkansas and driving up to Branson.

Why does Branson draw me to it?  I honestly can't point to any one thing.  We do consider the condo we always stay in as our home away from home.  It's quiet and the scenery is beautiful from the screened-in deck.  It's a little pricey, so we didn't save much money by staying closer to home, but it was so nice to not be on the road every day and living out of a suitcase.  I was so relaxed and lazy that I didn't even pick up my camera very often. 

One of my very favorite things to do on vacation is to eat.  I love eating something that I didn't have to prepare!  I may have overdone the eating a bit, as I've noticed my capris are getting a little harder to button!!  We enjoyed our breakfast on the screened-in deck most mornings without flies or kitties bothering us.  I didn't mind fixing breakfast, knowing I didn't have to worry about preparing the next meals of the day!

A favorite stop is always at Mel's Hard Luck Diner in Branson.  The food is pretty good, but it's the singing waiters that makes the visit a real treat.  This visit, I was in the mood for an old fashioned chocolate ice-cream soda.  It was more than I could possibly eat and hubby was happy to finish it up for me!  The young man singing in the back of the photo is Jason Yeager who made the top 24 finalists on American Idol in 2008.  He is a very talented singer!  Btw, our son was working in Branson a couple of days while we were there and joined us at our favorite eatery at the Landing for a nice dinner one night.  Oh, yes, we had lots of yummy things to eat on vacation....I won't talk about the blackberry cobbler or the apple dumpling with cinnamon ice cream.   Just thinking about it makes me hungry and I must slow down on the food intake.  I must!!

I was amazed at how green everything looked in Arkansas compared to our part of Missouri when we left., but we've had a couple of nice rains while we were gone and it's greening up here again!  It's also much cooler.  First thing on the agenda since coming home is mowing.  I think we only mowed prior to now maybe 5 times all spring/summer. 

I have kitties to hug and unpacking to do.  Plus a lot of little fall cleaning to get started on.  I've come home from vacation more determined than ever to rid my house of stuff that I don't use or love!  I'm determined to simplify my life!   It's time to get busy...but I'll be by to visit as soon as I can!

Until next time...

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...