Today at Between Friends......

It's where I post daily tidbits of my life,
and a little bit of this n' that.

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P.S. If it seems I haven’t posted because the same picture and post keep showing, I’ve noticed a glitch in the updating with Padlet. But once you click/tap the box below, you’ll always be transferred to the actual page of Between Friends where you’ll see my newest post. 😊

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                    You know what they say -
                   Variety is the spice of life!☺
                                      ~ ♥ ~

February 17, 2019

As we speak, there are at least half a dozen things I should be doing, that I'm not. And it's a crazy thing. I find that I hate to feel the obligation of needing to get certain things done, but then I also hate when I feel like I'm wandering around wasting time, when I could be getting important things done!

Something I'm definitely procrastinating on is scheduling the appointment with our accountant for taxes, but then I'm not doing that until I also finish procrastinating on getting the paperwork and figures together that I need to bring with us when we go! 

I think back to when I was much younger. I truly had not a care in the world. At least not by today's standards! Yet, I just could NOT WAIT to become an adult. 

Now, I'm an adult and I find myself begging my husband to help us find a way to go back in time and be young again... Ha, ha! Why does life have to play such a cruel trick?

I clearly remember my folks telling my siblings and I to enjoy our youth, but I also distinctly remember thinking that they just didn't understand.

Now, I clearly hear myself telling my young adult children to enjoy their youth. But obviously they're listening about as well as I did when I was their age. 

So this is what I've decided to do ~ 

1. Stop procrastinating. So help me God.
2. Enjoy my youth. My parents WISH they could be as "young" as me.
3. Simplify my life. Do what is necessary and forget about the rest.
4. Deliberately take the time to smell the roses. As Socrates once said, "Beware of the barrenness of a busy life."
5. Get rid of any baggage whether tangible or intangible. I mean, seriously, who needs it?

I know full well that every bit of this advice is for my own good. I sure do hope that I learn to get the hang of it sooner rather than later. Honest to goodness, I'm running out of time!

~ ♥ ~

February 7, 2019

About the only thing remotely interesting these days is trying to get Dean past his nasty cold or "coldflu" thing he somehow, somewhere caught. 

I've managed to escape the worst of whatever it is, thanks to my sauerkraut, neti pot and drinking plenty of fluids. But I'll feel better when I know I'm out of the woods for good. 

Yesterday, we had rain which immediately turned into ice on everything. While it wasn't fun for trying to get from here to there, it was beautiful to look at the icy beauty from indoors. My birds were very scarce, as they needed to stay protected or else they, too, would become coated with ice. 

But still, in the daylight, though not long before dusk, a lone, young doe ventured out in search of food. I imagine it must be a very difficult winter for them, between surviving the polar vortex and trying to find food when it's ice covered.

This apprehensive girl was only just a growing fawn this past summer. Come evening, we often see deer foraging in and around the bird feeder areas in search of any last morsels of seed or corn that may be left. 

Right about now, the wildlife outdoors is about the only entertainment we have on most days! We're so looking forward to Spring. Thank goodness it's just a mere 6 weeks away; and even if the weather doesn't quite cooperate at first, it'll just be so nice that we made it to Spring. ☺

~ ♥ ~

December 31, 2018 ~ Preparing For The Weather

Word has it we’re in for high winds later this evening. Lord knows we’ve been up and down like a yo-yo weatherwise these last several months. Even these last couple of years the weather has been somewhat unpredictable and unusual at best.

In light of this, we take these warnings seriously and remove or bring in anything that could cause damage or suffer damage from being tossed about in the wind. Dean brought in our large trash barrel. Then we worked on the bird feeders, which are especially susceptible. They’ve lifted right off the large S hooks they hang from, crash to the ground and break. Being that a decent feeder is relatively expensive, we try to avoid that from happening. 

This past summer, I was thrilled to learn that a pair of Eastern Bluebirds had taken up residency in one of our hanging birdhouses. I was like a mother hen watching over that house! One day our forecast was warning of gusty winds. I knew they would rattle and klank that poor house around if I did not try to secure it better from where it hung.

The birds were not happy, but I did my best, and, thankfully, they were none the worse for wear. After that, I learned that it’s always best to secure each house firmly to a tree or post. 

I hope nothing serious comes of the winds. It’s especially unnerving when they roar through at night, like these are predicted to do. The house will be chilly no doubt from the drafts in this old, cinder block home. But at least we know it’s solid, and sturdy, and can withstand some extremely strong winds. What a way to bring in the New Year....

Wishing all of you a very inspiring, uplifting and positive 2019! 

                                   ~ ❤️ ~

November 12, 2018 ~ A Wedding Celebration

It hardly seems possible that just over a week ago we celebrated the recent marriage of my daughter, when it feels like just yesterday that I, myself, got married!

I look in the mirror and realize that, while mentally I still think I'm that 20 something girl, physically, time is marching on, making changes and taking it's toll on my not so young body anymore.

I watch my daughter and realize that now is her time, this is her moment to start down the road, to begin her journey into adulthood, just as each of us has done before her.

There will be joy and sadness, success and failure, impressionable and memorable moments in her life that will define, mold and shape her into a mature person in the way that only life and it's experiences can do. 

I watch, both with joy and trepidation, knowing that there will be happiness and excitement over little things, yet knowing that not all of life is happy and exciting. But if anyone has the courage and determination to live life to it's fullest, my daughter is surely one who will do it.... While I, now on the sidelines, will always be there praying, encouraging and cheering her on. ♥

 

 ~ ♥ ~

September 27, 2018 ~ Life Keeps Moving

Before I knew it, summer passed in a blink!

Flowers have bloomed and faded away,

Warm breezes have come and gone,

 Sunsets that were once late in the evening

are now on our doorstep not long after dinner!

Summer was a mixture of 

unusually hot days

and lots of sunshine,

bird watching, butterfly gazing 

and catching the scent of my sweet

Butterfly Bush through the open windows.

Summer was unhurried mornings 

relaxing on the back deck,

feeling the sun's rays wrap their

beautifully warm arms around me.

It was sightings of tiny newborn fawns,

the long awaited return of my hummingbirds

and nest building in my birdhouses.

It was rainbows on my kitchen walls

as sunshine glistened through my prism,

It was vases of flower bouquets

from roadside stands, fresh berries

and hot fudge sundaes

while driving through the country,

winding down after long, busy days. 

 

Then, slowly but surely, the changes came.

Those little changes like the color of the sky, 

the way the leaves look on the trees

and the lack of katydids singing in the night.

Sultry evenings dwindled, cooler mornings

greeted us as we stepped out the door.

And now, here we are, welcoming 

the season of Autumn, before I'm

really ready to let summer go....

 

 Yet, here I am, digging out my Autumn

displays ~ colorful leaf garlands, 

scarecrows, candles for the mantle

and a wreath for the front door....

And I hope, my dear friends, that this post

finds you all happy and healthy,

moving along productively in life,

much the same as I!

~ ♥ ~

P.S. If you have an iPad, iPhone or smartphone like me, you've no doubt realized how much easier it is to jump on the internet and do what once was only done from our computers at home! I recently found an app that's quite simple to use and allows the upload of information quickly and with ease. These days, that's a really intriguing idea to me, because I hardly ever sit down at the computer much anymore! And I'd rather do a short but sweet post, than to have no post at all, which, sadly, has been the case here.

I've tried repeatedly to use the Blogger app on my device, in an attempt to post quick updates here and there, but for some reason there's always a glitch and it ends up booting me off the post I'm trying to post! :/

So I'd like to invite you to join me over at my new page (don't worry I'll still post here from time to time), where I hope to keep in touch with you all much more regularly. And the nice thing is, it's computer friendly, too. Please stop in and say hello!☺

https://padlet.com/kimmarie69/between_friends

 

June 4, 2018 ~ Rolling Along Into Summer

View of our front porch, which I just adore!

For several weeks now I've had the pleasure of setting up my outdoor furniture, planting flowers and tending to things in the yard. Now I can relax some and enjoy the beauty of it all! 

A few days ago, Dean and I purchased a hammock (which might as well be called an outdoor bed, it's that big and comfortable) that we've had a few chances to enjoy since putting it together. What's great is that it's fairly lightweight and has wheels on the end so it can be lifted and positioned in the yard anywhere we wish - under the shade of a tree or in the sunshine. The first day we set it up was quite warm, so we opted for jumping on it under the shade of our big maple tree out back. 

Wow! It felt so good to just lay in the quiet of the afternoon after a busy day for me, and an even harder day of work for Dean in the great outdoors.

That evening, we ventured outside and sought the comfort of our new hammock once again, only this time under the beauty of our wide open, starlit sky. Amazing! For just a moment, we were lost in the hush of a balmy, breezy, almost summer time night and the cares of the world slipped away. And it felt, well.... wonderful!

While it's not always possible to "drop everything" and enjoy the day on a whim, having something to look forward to helps. A peaceful, dreamy moment of rest on our new hammock sure does remind us to take some moments to reflect on and enjoy life, even if it's in little snippets of time. 

Since this time of year happens to be our busiest in Dean's line of work, we try to remember that even though the days fly by so quickly, it's still important for us to find time for ourselves. And we like the new direction we're heading! ;)

~ ♥ ~

March 8, 2018 ~ Hope and Promise

March brings with it the hope of Spring. New life and rebirth. Beauty and color. The beginnings of bird song round about me as I step outdoors each morning to tend to my bird feeders. Everything seems so new and fresh. How uplifting! I'm ready for all this snow to be gone until next year.
I find that as my excitement mounts for the coming of Spring, I want to have my house in order so that I can be ready to start setting up my outdoor things as soon as the weather finally breaks. We're not quite there yet, but almost. 

The other morning I stood near the window holding my breath as I saw various birds peeking in and out of the holes of a few of my bird houses, seeking a safe place to raise their family. I remembered that I still had two of my smaller bird houses for the likes of Wrens and Chickadees still tucked away in the screen room. I dug them out and hung them up. You've heard of the saying, the early bird catches the worm? Well, I guess you could say, the early bird secures the house, too! With so much activity going on in their little community, I'm sure it won't be long before all the houses are occupied. That makes my heart happy!

It's nice to see brighter mornings and longer days. The sun has been moving higher and higher into the sky.... Some of our sunsets have been simply amazing. They chase away the far too many dull, dreary evenings we've been so accustomed to all winter long. We've hunkered down, kept busy and carried on, but, oh how lovely it is to be stepping into the hope and promise of Spring!

~ ♥ ~

February 12, 2018 ~ A New Week

Still not much sunshine, but I got up and got moving early today. I had a mission of grocery shopping to complete, and just didn't want to be out among the crowds and risk the chance of more exposure to germs! I arrived at the store just after breakfast and was so happy to be one of very few others who were shopping as well. I always like when I can move through the aisles efficiently and quickly without much hassle!

Interestingly, while out filling my bird feeders and suet log this afternoon, I heard, then saw, a pair of geese flying over, heading northeastward. That sure is odd for our area, and especially at this time of year, though I know we do have some geese that winter over in our parts a bit more than in years past. 

Joanna, our black lab, and I decided to get a bit of exercise and took a walk way to the back property line that overlooks a ravine. Imagine our surprise when we came upon 2 does foraging for anything they could find to make at least a bit of a meal for themselves. Despite our crunching footsteps through the hardened, dense snow, the deer did not even scurry away! The bigger of the two raised her head, pointed her ears straight upward and looked at us all while she was gently stomping her front hoof into the snow. Deciding not to disturb them any further, I led Joanna away, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw them still standing where we left them, content to eventually resume their foraging. A short time later, Dean spied one of them up in our yard digging for apples underneath the apple trees. 

With such severe cold and snow, I feel sorry for the critters outdoors. For several evenings we had a mystery on our hands of just WHO was getting into our bird feeders that are normally left untouched over night. Well, we finally found out over the weekend. Mama deer and her now grown twins, both of which are does! I must say, they sure do look much bigger when you're up close and nearly nose to nose through the glass with a deer! Not wanting to scare them into the road, we let them be, but from now on I have been bringing in the feeders at night time. I'd much rather put apples and carrots out for them to nibble somewhere in the safety of our backyard. And away from where, if left to keep coming, in warmer weather they will make a nuisance of themselves not only at the feeders, but in my flowerbeds as well! Not to mention deer ticks.... Of which I have already had 3, and thankfully tested negative for Lyme Disease. Now THAT'S some scary business....

As evening falls, I'm thinking of all the good "grub" (as Dean calls it) I brought home, and pondering on what to prepare for dinner. I think a bit of golden baked fish, gently steamed asparagus, and some deliciously sweet, canned peaches sounds good for dinner tonight. I guess I should scoot and get busy in the kitchen, my friends! 

Have a wonderfully relaxing and cozy evening!

~ ♥ ~

February 8, 2018 ~ Getting Back On My Feet

Right about now, the belief that we're anywhere remotely close to Spring, feels about like wishing for a miracle! We've had so many frigid, gray, snow-filled days it almost seems impossible, but it certainly is true. And news of the groundhog having seen his shadow.... well.....shush! We don't talk about things like that here in our house ~ Lol!!

Besides, it wasn't even sunny when Mr. Groundhog poked his head out. Now I ask you, how could he have possibly seen his shadow? According to my calendar, Spring is approximately 6 weeks away, and that's the hope I'm clinging to these days. Yes, I'm believing in miracles! ☺ How about you? If you're lucky enough to live in an area that's already experiencing some beginnings of Spring, oh, I'm so very happy for you!! Soak up some of that gorgeous sunshine for me, would you? 

 Fortunately, with such inclement weather outdoors, I've been making the most of my time indoors. Shortly after the New Year, I began going through just about every cupboard, closet and drawer in the house, to bring some semblance of order that has been much needed, but neglected while enjoying the previously beautiful days of seasons gone by.
Have you been lucky enough to escape a cold or the flu this year so far? I think I've had a mix of both in whatever has been ailing me this last week and half. Suffice it to say, after a good few days in bed getting plenty of rest, taking long, hot showers, eating comforting meals and soaking in the deep warmth of our wonderful wood stove, I'm on the mend and ready to tackle things around here. Now, it's my turn to nurture Dean back to health.... Yup, he got it, too. :/

My thoughts on the whole matter are this: you just don't want to get sick in the first place. Because once you do, there's really very little you can do to prevent it from taking hold and doing what it's going to do. That's just my take from our own experiences in dealing with this stuff. From the very tiniest, slightest symptom I felt right at the start, I took a very proactive stance with fighting this thing off. I really wasn't too worried as we've been eating super healthy and taking great care of ourselves for these last nearly 6 months with a new whole foods approach that has left us feeling absolutely, amazingly better in so many ways! (From weight loss, to more energy, to less bloating, to beautiful skin, to lower blood sugar levels.... the list goes on!) But, alas, aside from the days spent in bed getting every bit of rest that my body needed, none of the cold medicines, extra vitamin C, or even the hot showers making me "sweat it out" seem to have helped. However, something very basic and rudimentary did - drinking lots and lots of fluids! Now isn't that something we always hear when we're sick? "Drink lots of fluids, Dear!" Not only did it help my body flush out the toxins of this illness, it kept the chest and head congestion to such a minimum that I was truly pleasantly surprised. And that's my advice, should you, unfortunately, find yourself sick.... 
In the future, I think I'm going to be looking into foods and herbal supplements that boost the immune system to be specifically super strong in order that I may not even get sick in the first place! 
In the meantime friends, here's to hopes of sunnier days, warmer weather and beautiful hints of Spring as each day passes by. ☺ 

~ ♥ ~

A Place To Call My Own ~ October 25, 2017

As the summer breezes turn chilly, and leaves dress in their Autumn attire, my insides begin to crave peaceful, cozy spaces indoors.

Several months back, Dean and I transformed our 3rd bedroom into a sitting room, complete with brand new furniture and pictures, lovely Citrus Punch painted walls, a beautiful "ocean" view and my very own (electric) wood stove!

A body needs its own space once in a while, don't you think? Whether it be myself, or another member of the family, sometimes a personal place of retreat is all it takes to set the body to rights again. Just to be able to close the door on the world, and find your happy place....

What I love about my sitting room is that it has a tropical theme. Morning sunshine spills through the window, giving the room a beautifully cheerful glow. In the evening, mood lighting sets a soft tone throughout the room, and the flickering flames of the "fire" seem magical. 

As I enjoy the space this evening, I thought I would share a few pictures of the room with you. Despite the fact that the room is one of our smallest, it is, by far, one of the coziest in our whole house.  No matter how large or compact your house may be, there's always room to find a nook and transform it into your own personal, peaceful, happy place!

 ~ ♥ ~

Deer, Oh Deer! ~ October 21, 2017

We are so blessed to have nature right at our doorstep. I never tire of seeing various wildlife passing through our yard, and late this Summer into Autumn we've certainly had a treat with all the deer we've had visiting us. Especially bucks.

Just look at this handsome fellow! I was amazed to see on more than a few occasions several bucks running together this year. And what a special moment I happened upon when, one day on a walk, I spied this beautiful scene as I peeked through the hedgerow to the field behind us.... 

A fawn and buck exchanging a sweet moment together! Never have I seen a loving exchange between a fawn and buck before. This was just a priceless moment to behold. Behind the bush is a doe and her other fawn. This mama came to visit our yard frequently with her fawns. Here they are, late one afternoon, in yet another sweet moment I 

was able to capture a picture of. Just so precious!! Every year we see at least one set of twins, and a doe or two with just one fawn. They all travel together it seems, and everyone gets along looking out for one another. Nature is just the most beautiful thing!

Here are some bucks eating pears that had fallen from our tree. Try as I might, I just could not get a picture of these two together, but not in front of one another. ☺ Just look at the size of their racks, though. These bucks are definitely mature males. One even had some gray on him.

Here is a better picture of two bucks that came for some pears on another day.... Look at that one reaching up to grab the fruit right off the tree! I'm sure if I were an orchard farmer, this would not be a very welcome sight. But lucky for them, I am not! They can be quite destructive, unfortunately.

Here is a fawn having an afternoon meal in a bit of tall grass. Isn't it just so adorable? And look at those eyelashes. Not one beautiful detail was left out in the creation of this precious fawn! 
Last, but not least, are a couple of pictures of a doe I took using the recently discovered "vivid" feature on my camera. She cooperated so nicely for her photo shoot, if I do say so myself! ☺ 

 ~~~

 Isn't she a gorgeous girl? She is standing under our chestnut tree, and was in the middle of having quite the feast for lunch as the chestnuts have been in abundance this year!

Wishing you happiness, my friends, as you enjoy the beauty of nature wherever it is that you call home... 

~ ♥ ~

Back In The Kitchen ~ August 23, 2017

Sometimes I go through a period of time when I'm not in the mood to be in the kitchen much, outside of the necessity to make our meals for the day. But as the fruit trees bend under the weight of all their produce, and hints of Autumn are in the air, I'm getting the itch to do a bit more these days. 

So I got out my Magnolia Journal magazine, and followed the directions for their Apple Butter recipe. 

As is common for me, I never quite follow everything exactly as I should. So, while this recipe is for the slow cooker, I cooked it down in a sauce pan right on my stove. Can you imagine how wonderful the house smelled with apples, cinnamon and cloves stewing in the pot?? Mmmm.... I thought for sure Autumn had arrived! I really enjoyed it's sweet, clove infused taste. 

Next, I moved on to a recipe using peaches. I gathered a bucket of our own peaches from our small tree, and set to work on making a peach jam. I just used the recipe straight from the Sure-Jell box. 

Oh. My. Goodness! The smell as they were bubbling away in the jam syrup brought me right back to the days of when I used to feed my babies jarred peaches! Isn't it amazing how some smells just resonate with you?? ☺The jam turned out perfectly, and tastes absolutely delightful on toast and those delicious Town House crackers! I think it's been years since I've made any type of jam..... But, look at how lovely it is in the jars now!

My last extra little something I spent time on in the kitchen was a tasty, green bean salad made with fresh beans given to me by my neighbor that were grown in his garden. I cut the ends off, steamed them gently, then added some oil, vinegar and seasoning.... Ooooh, they were fresh and tender! A little remained for me to nibble on the next day, and they were even better having set over night.

I'll have to remember that if there's a next time that my neighbor brings me over some beans.......

I hope this post finds you enjoying some things you've finally gotten around to doing again, or maybe just simply enjoying the continuation of some really nice summer weather! It won't be long before our next season is upon us....

Take care, my friends. Wishing you well in your part of the world! 

~ ♥ ~

Hints Of Autumn?? ~ August 5, 2017

This morning I awoke to glimpses of the sunrise just below the tree tops, and our room felt much cooler than it has in recent days. Yesterday's rains are responsible for this significant cool down, but I don't mind it terribly, so long as we have sunshine. The breeze is certainly significant today, though.

Once I head out of the bedroom into the rest of the house, the first thing I do is open the curtains and open every window. This is what I love most about mornings during our warm weather months..... airing out the entire house every day, hearing the leaves rustle on the trees around us and watching each beautiful bird flit here and there as they come in search of breakfast. But I know many people prefer the quiet solitude of the indoors, even so much as to not open a single curtain! Which are you ~ a window opener or quiet solitude kind of person? 

I've done a change up in my bathroom. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I know for now I really like it. I removed all the soft, fuzzy, debris catching throw rugs and simply laid down color coordinated towels that match my decor. (Well, at least they do on most days!) I just get so tired of the battle with trying to keep those rugs clean because their shaggy pile tends to hold things, even in spite of using the vacuum cleaner on them. Surprisingly, the towels make it so much easier to keep the bathroom floor clean! Especially since it's our only bathroom, therefore it gets a lot of use. How nice it is every couple of days to simply shake off the towels, throw them in the wash and lay out a new set of towels to step out on after our showers and while standing at the sink. If I like it well enough, I think I just might buy some appropriate colored towels that are used specifically for that purpose. I know I certainly don't dread keeping after the bathroom floor now! ☺

The Baltimore Orioles have started migrating. I'm glad at least I know what is going on with them now. Since I wasn't very familiar with them, I couldn't figure out why they were no longer coming to the feeders last year about this time. This year I decided to do a little reading up on them, and discovered that they have a very short breeding time here in Eastern North America! They arrive between April and May, and leave as early as mid to the end of July for their wintering grounds in Florida, the Caribbean and Central America. You could have blown me over with.... a feather!! Ha! I would have never guessed that. I almost wonder why it's even worth their long trip up north, but I'm so glad they do come as they're such a pretty bird. It certainly makes me appreciate the much longer stay of the delicate Hummingbird. Last year I saw a Hummingbird as late as the 3rd week in September!

Hard to believe it's not even 9 o'clock, and here we are with dusk falling upon us. I think we just might have an early Autumn if it stays as cool as is predicted for our month of August. My son mentioned this morning that, as much as he loves the things associated with Autumn, he really hates to think that Summer is passing quickly by! I know just how he feels..... How about you?

~ ♥ ~

Dog Days Of Summer ~ August 3, 2017

I trust this post finds you well and everything right in your world, my friends! Summer is in full swing, with all its beauty that I enjoy so much ~ lovely flowers, sweet birds, bright sunshine and tropical temperatures of late. However, we continue to have our fair share of rain. As a matter of fact, another thunderstorm is rolling through as I write this post, which I did not expect any rain today really! It's in the forecast for the next couple of days, though, so when I awoke this morning, it was on my mind to get the lawn mowed today. And with this afternoon's storms, it's a good thing I got to it earlier than I usually do. If it were let go any longer, I'd have rakings to tend to, and I always try to avoid that! With our very large yard, that becomes a big chore. Maybe that's why so many people these days just hire a mowing company to come in and take care of their lawn. Do you mow your own lawn or have the professionals do it? Right now I prefer to handle the job myself!

While mowing, I love watching the Swallows swoop down. When they first started doing this, I thought it may have been because they actually were trying to follow me and play while I mowed...... But that was not the case at all! Upon further assessment, I realized it was because the mower stirs up tons of bugs that are hiding in the grass, causing them to take flight for safety. THEY are what the Swallows are after ~ and what a sight it is to see these graceful beauties swooping down to catch a quick snack.

Romeo recently had 2 small cysts removed, and an unanticipated teeth cleaning, but I'm glad
he's in tip top shape now. During his pre-op assessment, the vet determined it would be best to clean his teeth while under anesthesia, since they've never been professionally cleaned in all his 8 years. He's coming on the age where he'd start to have problems with infection from abscesses and teeth falling out from rot. Since I certainly don't want that, I opted for the cleaning now. The poor little boy was seriously high when he came home due to the pain killer they'd given him! We were thankful to see him return to his old self within a few days. He just got a bath and nice groom at the salon, so he's looking very handsome, and reminds us of a little lamb. It's hard not to spoil him when he looks so darn cute and cuddly!

Last week we had our road chip sealed. Have you ever had that done to your road? While the process went smoothly and quickly, its after effects aren't so great. With all this rain, it helps to keep the dust down, but that noise...... ooooh! Nothing can help that but time! We, and all our neighbors, slept so poorly the first night or two from it. Since we don't live in a small neighborhood or on a side street, rather on a semi-primary, kind of part country road that seems pretty popular, we have traffic all night long. Not heavy, but still, it's traffic. And sometimes it even sounded like cars were pulling into the driveway. I guess we have at least another week before the sweeper will come down the road to remove the excess "gravel". Then they'll spray the lines on the road. It'll be nice when that time comes!

Well, I'm so glad I had the chance to visit with you, and share some of what's been going on in my world. As I always say, I truly miss my visits with you and not posting for long periods. Come nicer weather, I do so much more outdoors and I generally don't really sit down til mid evening. (And here we are with darkness falling much sooner than before!) Then I have the problem of needing toothpicks to keep my eyes open!! ~ Lol! But I'll do my best, and until the next post, take care my friends! 

 ~ ♥ ~

Outdoor Space ~ May 21, 2017

I can't say as we've had an early start to our warm summer weather like we have in years past. But we've finally been able to have some mild days in which to enjoy our screen room!

When I began clearing it out of all the yard and garden things we store in it throughout the winter, it was still quite chilly outside. Despite the calendar saying spring, I was still in my autumn getup which is long johns under my jeans, fuzzy boots and a jacket other than a windbreaker to keep me warm!

Last year I had really wanted to jazz up the screen room. Some of my favorite outdoor furniture is wicker. But, after talking with Dean, we decided that it just didn't seem practical to buy new things, when what we had was still perfectly good and useful. And there was no sense either in changing what is already for all intents and purposes a very suitable and useful as it is outdoor space. However, I did need a few extra sitting chairs for the space, and I was able to find some really nice looking, comfortable tan lawn chairs that fit the bill nicely. So I went about setting up the screen room being creative with what we already have in the space that's already there.

Well, except for the latest new addition of a comfy green rocker chair that my father found at our local Goodwill, and, after seeing it myself, I felt it was just too comfortable of a chair for just the right price to pass up! In fact, as I type this post, it's exactly where I'm sitting! I've always loved a cushioned chair that swivels and rocks, too.

The morning started off mild and sunny, but it has since cooled some, and rain has passed through. Listening to the raindrops on the roof was actually quite nice, and the fresh smelling air is helping to clear out my head. Add to that listening to a yard full of bird song, and watching their busy flights from nests to feeders and back again, it makes for one of the most enjoyable things I can think of doing now that some warmer weather has come our way....

In fact, enjoying time in our screen room is one of the best ways to start my day! If we were closer, I'd love to have you join me! How do you enjoy starting off your day?

~ ♥ ~

I guess you could say it's "A Room With a View"!

Birds Upon Birds ~ May 8, 2017

Life is going well! Looking forward to getting my flowers planted in the flowerbeds and pots, but the weather has just been too unpredictable and chilly! Soon, I shall....soon!

In the meantime, I truly enjoy the many birds that visit my feeders each and every day.

 
Saw my first sighting of both a Hummingbird and an Oriole back on May 2nd! Today is only the second time I've spotted a hummer, but I know sightings will continue to get more frequent as the days go by. The Oriole has only been back once more, but soon they, too, will be eating me out of house and home. They devour grape jelly by the jar fulls when they're here in full swing! ☺
Here's wishing all is well in your corner of the world, dear friends! What has your weather been like, and what is your favorite pastime? Here are a few of my favorite bird pictures of late.

~ ♥ ~

Goldfinch

Catbird

House Finch

Baltimore Oriole

 ~ ♥ ~