Drama in the sky

 

Sometimes the drama in the sky is better than what is on the television.  The top two pictures are the full moon rising at 11:30 ish. Then there are the rain clouds in all directions and sometimes a rainbow. —Ann—

Beautiful morning

I sit outside and drink my coffee in the morning, it wasn’t hot or humid or windy. It was perfect. I read for a little while then I stopped and watched the birds. Last week it was the green herons sitting in the tree tops but now their nests are empty and the birds have moved on. Today it was the rosy headed house finches and the chirping sparrows. They never stay like long. I watched a hawk soar high above,  it just soared with the breeze and never flapped its wings. The cicadas were silent. It was a perfect morning and then my coffee cup was empty.  —Ann—

Knee deep in June

Long about knee-deep in June 

Strawberries melt on the vine....

James Whitcombe Riley

Just picked—Ann—

blue sky

Those first couple days in June were perfect, the temperature, the breeze, the cloudless sky.............then we had an excess of heat, humidity, wind and clouds with thunderstorms. 
It was a perfect morning, the sky was blue the grass was green the sunlight seemed brighter,  I wanted to hang laundry on a clothesline.  I haven’t had a clothesline since five moves ago and I still don’t. It took me back to my childhood sitting there in the tire swing begging for a push while mom hung clothes on the line.  The colors of everything seemed more intense.  Is it my imagination or is it real? Fewer cars on the roads, fewer jets in the air could the air be a little cleaner and the sky brighter?

I tried to draw a tire swing from memory, not so good neither drawing nor memory,  then I tried to find a picture of a tire swing on the internet none were similar to the one I had as a child. Then an aha moment look in the photo books. I watched my dad make the tire swing for my kids. He cut an old tire (not the steel belted kind just a plain old tire)  with his pocket knife and he cut ears for the rope so the seat would stay in a chair position then he drilled a hole so rain water would drain. Not fun sitting in a puddle.  He used the anvil to turn it inside out making a very comfy seat. I spent hours in the tire swing as a child so did my kids.  Happy memories in a world that has come unglued  --Ann--

little things

Maple seeds.

Pondering and the back side of August

I slept late the other morning, there were four digits on the clock -- that late. I took my coffee to the deck to soak up some vitamin D, I think the deck faces southwest so it is late morning when the sun was hitting it, our house is not square to the world so it makes me more directionally challenged than usual. It was a beautiful morning too bad I missed most of it, bright blue sky, no wind, no bugs  and comfortable temp, the birds were chirping, a goldfinch was sitting at the very top of the maple tree. Too far away for a photo then it flew and a red finch took its place and then another joined it.  The tips of the maple are starting to turn color.  Too soon for me. Does that mean we are going to have an early fall and earlier winter?  I hope it just means we are going to have a more colorful fall.  Wet summers do that to our trees here.  Savoring the rest of the summer  --Ann--

Doubtless

“Doubtless God could have made a better berry but doubtless God never did.”  William Allen Butler
The sweetness of summer and the sweetness of strawberries.  --Ann--

strawberries

Long about knee-deep in June, 
'Bout the time strawberries melts 
On the vine,  James Whitcomb Riley      Need I say more...........--Ann--

Just another week

A week of very little that was blog worthy, but the sky did turn blue again the winds shifted directions and the sun warmed things up considerably ITS SUMMER HERE!  I've put away the wool socks! I went for a walk in the evening the lilacs are late blooming but the heat bring out their scent..........its heavenly and the iris are blooming I need to go to McCrory Gardens for a look and take my camera.  Hubby got ready to go fishing for a week, he had clothes to wash and pack, jigs to gather, reels to respool and lots of other things to do so I just stayed out of his way and when he left it was catch up time for me.  Clothes to wash, spa day for sweaters, lists of projects for the week and such.
It was also son's birthday so I took him out for supper then gave him his new socks so fresh off the needles I forgot to take a picture oops. He asked if I could fix a hole in these felted slippers that I knit him a few years ago this picture is before felting.  When I looked at them and picked at the hole a little it got bigger.  I'll have to knit him a whole new pair. oh darn! I'm thrilled he has been wearing them  the last couple winters.  Then I gave him another pair of slippers, a different pattern that I tried and felted and put away.  He said he likes the slippers on the right best because they slip on.  I guess that's what slippers are supposed to do, slip on and off.

Then I gave him half a loaf of fresh bread because I don't need to eat it all and a jar of  raspberry freezer jam.  He said the day just keeps getting better and better.
--Ann--

summer and the end of May

Wednesday the furnace was running Thurday hubby turned the AC to kick in and kick in it did.  The weekend is for more summer temps.  I went to the greenhouse to buy tomatoes and peppers for future DIL and got my greenhouse fix.  The little violas are so cheerful and sweet. I didn't buy any we have rock around the house and rock just seems to cook the roots of annuals and I don't like to dig in rocks.  We haven't had rain for 6 days now yippee!!!!  The sun is shining but the sky is grey from smoke from wildfires in Canada.  The next time we do have blue sky I expect to hear the Hallelujah chorus.  Missing the interlude between winter and summer of a few days with the windows open.  --Ann--

the fun continues

Our plan was to ask at the shop where was a good place to eat,  Lori the owner, who is one of the most gracious people I have ever met invited us to eat what she was serving the guild.  She had plenty.  It was a delicious chicken salad croissant, fruit and chips.  One of the local gals sits down with us and proceeds to tell us what it going on in Faulkton and to be sure to see the Pickler Mansion and the grain elevator.  There is a Victorian mansion on the prairie of South Dakota.  I had been there before but learned more from this tour guide than I had before or maybe repetition helps things stick in my head.    To be a Victorian Mansion it has to have a library,  a tower, stained glass windows and two staircases.  It was home to South Dakotas first congressman and Susan B. Anthony stayed there.
We spent the entire day in Faulkton!! a town of 700 some people.  An artist is painting their grain elevator, this side (east) was done, he was working on cowboy hats on the the north and in the 2 weeks since I was there he has painted the west side click on Faulkton above and see.
We visited a couple more shops then went back to the quilt shop for a cup of good coffee and more girl talk before heading our separate directions.  Cherished time with good friends.  --Ann--

A Little Trip

We have made a couple little trips to visit son who has a dog better the dog hair stay at his house than mine. Its almost a 4 hour trip so lots of knitting in the car, and a good start on socks for Christmas. We drove past a few fields of sunflowers in full bloom but someone didn't want to stop for selfies with the sunflowers.  Those are wild sunflowers from the file.  We drove into Mobridge one day and stopped at the new outdoor found materials sculpture.  A cowboy riding a walleye called Walleye Up.  When the dams were built on the Missouri River in the 1950's and 60's the old town was flooded and a new town was built where the bridge crosses the Missouri River the words were combined into Mobridge. Their claim to fame is ranching, rodeos and walleye fishing. It could be a statement about taming the west and the river, tourism might be equal or larger than the beef industry now.  Its art and it makes me think and look  --Ann--

summer sweetness

 An hours worth of work and now to add more sweetness and make freezer jam.  --Ann--