Mental Misfires....

Call me crazy, but lately, I'm thinkin', that the US of A would be much better off if D.C., would blow up, disappear, and all who held an office would be stripped of their fine lifestyle and insurance coverage, and we were all equal again, like way back when. I do realize, having a bit of college, and just plain natural smarts, he hee, that the world if full of the haves and the have nots. But, things are just going crazy....nutso....fast forwarding into a black hole of stupidness.
Ooops, maybe this week is hormonal surge week, but truly, does anyone else out there think we're in serious trouble here? I'm not bashing Obama...or the Republicans...I think they're all cuckoo! It's as if, we the American people, have thrown up our hands and said..."oh, whatever!" That isn't who we are....that is NOT our history! When, did we become so uninterested...so apathetic....so overwhelmingly, blase'?
Two nights of not sleeping well takes it toll on old women pushing fifty-nine.
It makes us think for God's sake.....and write entries into their blogs that are better left unwritten! Sigh...getting old sucks. Men are poopy. Knitting is hard to learn. Friends are wonderful. Holding a cup of hot tea early in the morning is so enjoyable. The shine of your grandchild's hair and eyes is breathtaking. The trill of birdsong is awesome, okay, it's irritatin' after too long a time, but still, it's pretty cool. And, the cuttlefish, what an amazing thing that lives on the sea floor!
Thank you PBS for Lawrence Welk reruns, and Nova.
OK, I'm outta here. I refuse to be held responsible for this post.
Somebody else did it.
Somebody short and furry...yeah, yeah, that's the ticket....a corgi did it!
Little buggers.

This week in review...

Joshie boy became 36 this week. Here he is pictured with his ninety-three year old Gram. She was a big part of his life, growing up in a single parent household, and is very dear to him. ( I keep asking, HOW, he can be 36, when I still feel 39 inside.) Yeah, yeah, the outside is pushing 59, but baby, on the inside, I'm a perpetual 3-9!


Mom visited for a few days and Addie got some Gram time as well. She was a lap full but very content. Why are Grandma's laps the best?
(Addie wants to know if the plaid slipcover makes her butt look big?)



We've had stormy nights here in NE Indiana. The hollyhocks have suffered and I'm hacking them down, stems loaded with blossoms, sigh...
Twisters and downpours, and broken trees, and power outs. We were lucky here, but others were not. It's cooler this evening; birds are singing. My neighbor had a fire in her fire pit so we gathered buns and hot dogs to roast. Even the mosquitoes gave us a little reprieve.

A nice gal, who is quirky and artsy, and a soul sista, (whom I met since working at the library) has begun teaching me how to knit. So many novels are being written lately involving knitting as part of the plot, there has been a resurgence in interest in it. It was fun this morning to visit her horses, and watch the barn swallows swoop through her open barn. Their muddy nests were above the doors. She's a saint to do this, as I'm dumber than a box of rocks and stiff fingered. We'll see who ends up with the most hair in a week or so....and who has handfuls, yanked out in frustration!

Little blessings everywhere....if we just open our eyes and see them.

Mommy's in the doghouse...

This is not a photo of Addie today.
Today, she had her long awaited and dreaded dental work done.
They pulled a broken tooth, and cleaned her blackened teeth.
It was a long, long day for ol' Addie.
She's still dopey.
She's awfully mopey.
She's frightfully quiet, and occasionally whimpers.
Mommy is feeling very guilty, but is relieved to be this far.
Jake keeps staring at her, as if she's an alien.
The alien with vet smells all over her, and blood, most likely.
She's a mess.
Bathtime maybe tomorrow.
Tonight, we're going to be very, very, still....and she's plotting....
you can see it in her squinty little eyes....
and hear it in her shuddering sighs....
Mommy is dead meat!

Coffee thoughts...

Rolling the grass probably feels pretty good. Maybe we should all give it a whirl.







Why do dogs graze? Is it a latent bovine gene? Or do they just feel a yen for salad?







It's hollyhock time. They surround our cottage on a hill. Do you have them in your yard?






This is one reason why living in Indiana is nice. Scenery like this is everywhere. I never get tired of seeing it. Although a beach scene a couple times a year, would be good. Sandy feet, and coconut oil in the air....hmmmm...




(pay no nevermind to that darn date stamp on the photos...sheesh, they were taken today, but my camera is happiest when back in the day in 2004!)

You decide...

What's your favorite way to eat strawberries?

• In strawberry pie
• On pancakes
• In jam
• On shortcake
• In homemade ice cream
• While picking them

I'll take mine with Emmy Lulu any ol' time!

Dreamin'....everyone has their own...

This is Jake, getting his kicks looking at the sheep. His ears go up when he's excited. How he'd love getting in that field....herding up the gang. In his dreams...







This is Addie, wanting to see the sheep, but has already barked at them then dive bombed to the car floor. "Are they still out there, mama?"





This is the property I'd like to buy after winning the lottery! It's heaven on earth, and has horses, sheep and chickens in the field. Pastoral Bliss!

Do you wish you could light up your butt?

The lightning bugs have arrived. Even THEY are early this year!
Childhood wonderment over these little bugs has been going on for eons. Nothing is more peaceful than sitting around a campfire, and seeing a field lit up with the yellowish glow of the fireflies...or do you call them lightning bugs?
It depends, I suppose, where you hail from.
Here's a dang interesting site all about Lightning bugs; explaining just how they get their hineys to glow!

On a sadder note...the mosquitoes have also arrived, buzzing and biting.
Dad burn things!

Outside Tour...Summer is here!

Early rains and even earlier bouts of extreme heat has blessed local gardens with lush roses, and day lilies blooming several weeks early in NE Indiana.





We have eight long-stemmed roses blooming out our back door. "That's okay Jim, don't bring any home, just pick one as you walk in, the next time you're in the doghouse."




Jake is ten but still a pup in his mind....just throw him a ball and he'll fetch and retrieve, endlessly!



Carrots and yellow squash are planted in an old enamel pan. The green beans have done nothing in the old wash tub. I've done two plantings, and only one seed has sprouted! Can't imagine why!




An update on how the bale gardening is going...plants have tripled in size, and are fed with manure. The zukes are blooming, and so are the roma tomatoes.


Today, the orange corn lilies have opened for the first time.
The corgi kids and I saw a blue heron and a chubby groundhog sunning itself on our country road tour. None of the sheep were out, and ponies were all in the barn, staying in the shade. New batteries are in the camera so am hoping to catch the lamb twins soon to post a pic of them.

Summer and all its busyness is right around the corner. Time seems to go on fast forward. The summer reading program at the library opened this week, and folks flocked the desk to sign up for it. The birds seem to empty the feeders daily.
Roofers are next door, hammering away. Addie won't come outside with them near. Making it frustrating at potty time!
What do you like best of this season? I like having daylight until 9 p.m., and seeing things bloom. School's out for the summer, and it's totally a frame of mind for us all, not just something that happens for the kids.