What She Said

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Fri, 14 May 2021 14:50:00 +0000

A patch of blue in the sunrise this morning!

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Mon, 10 May 2021 14:35:00 +0000

Decided to start posting on my blog again. Social media has become to invasive and crowded with advertisements. I will be migrating off of all of it as soon as I gather the data I want to keep.

The irises are blooming! Richard, Ramsey, and I saw our first Monarch butterfly this year on our walk to the bridge with Beth & Sneakers today. Jennifer and Dream are visiting, and came on our walk, too. We had Mom and Pa over for dinner for Mother's Day yesterday, and video-chatted with some of the siblings.

Starting The New Year Right...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Sat, 13 Jan 2018 21:26:00 +0000

We've had an eventful 2016 summer, autumn, and winter - family came to visit from Germany, we made trips to Branson, Washington DC (twice) and Oklahoma (twice), got a new roof on the house (hail damage), finally moved into the 21rst century by getting a cell phone, bought a new truck, and continued our day-to-day lives. Pa and Richard did spend a few days in the hospital in November, but all is well now with both of them. One kid was able to come for Christmas, but the other got snowed in, so we'll visit later this year.

For those of you who sent Christmas cards, but didn't get one from us in return, I thank you all. I will do my best to get them out next year!

Today Richard, Mom, Pa and I did our annual trip to the Dam Visitor Center to see the eagle show. After the show we went to the local Mexican restaurant and then came home to putter about doing other things.

Phoenix, the Bald Eagle.

Aquila, the Golden Eagle.

The New Cabin Room

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 02:09:00 +0000

So, Richard and I both have some hobbies that require lots of stuff...mine is sewing/quilting and he is digitizing all of our slides, negatives, and photos of our years of travel with some specialized equipment. He's creating albums on the computer, on thumb drives, and in print. Our living room looks like a fabric and photo shop blew up.

So, we got this wild idea...why not enclose part of our barely used, roofed back deck and make a bonus room to do our hobbies in, and reclaim our living room as a pretty place that accommodates guests again?

And of course, in our infinite wisdom, we decided to do this just before the family arrived for our mini-reunion (which means only 16 people came this time). We finished it the DAY before everyone arrived - delayed by rain, and by Richard developing a neck spasm that took him out for a few days.

We brought the roof and the room all the way to the outside kitchen wall and decided NOT to remove the siding, but instead, paint it. We did a light green with a contrast trim of darker green.

The beam across the edge of the covered porch was simply covered in cedar, as was the ceiling and walls of the room. We put windows all over so we'd not lose the view from the kitchen window in the house.

The floor is OSB. Our contractor suggested using Bondo Glas in the cracks, so we caulked first and he put the Bondo in - it turned a dark, olive green. He sanded everything down and we polyurethaned it all. It looks pretty cool, although you really can't see it in the photos.

We moved our 12 foot sofa table out to the place under the kitchen windows. The windows act as a pass through and we keep them open so we can talk to anyone inside the house. I re-covered the seat of the chair with the serape on it, in a cotton serape fabric. My computer set-up is on the left. A coffee bar is on the right side. The oil lantern above the coffee bar is for power outages.

A closeup of the coffee bar. The stack of mugs is from World Market, I got them at a yard sale. The bigger mug rack also came from a yard sale. The oil lantern came from the Amish store, and the cast iron holder it is in came from a yard sale!

This is the view from the door. Richard chose the star rugs, so I followed a Western star theme in the whole room. The beam divides the room a little, and makes it feel more spacious. The windows on the right of the kitchen windows are made into a box, so there is room to put some potted herbs on the sill to catch the eastern sun. These windows have faux wood blinds, I've not decided what kind of valance I want to make.

There are two outer doors - one from the deck to the room, the other is pictured and goes out onto the landing of the stairs to the back yard. If we ever have to split the room up, each section will have it's own door. The horseshoes on the wall were found by my Dad when he hiked the area when he first got here. Some were dug up on his property. There's a mule shoe, a draft horse shoe, and 2 regular horse shoes. The valances and the pillowcover are made from the same serape fabric as the chair in the other photo. Faux wood blinds are hidden behind the valances, so we can close the windows in the evening.

This is the main room that is under the original covered deck. The walls and ceiling are clad in non-uniform cedar planks. Our contractor planed and cut each plank, leaving knotholes and flaws in some of the wood for a rustic feel. The wall hanging is a woven scene I bought at the San Antonio, Texas mercado several years ago. The pottery on the shelf above the couches is Native American - from Mexico, some Navajo, some Hopi, and I think, a Zuni piece. The lamp is a little Waterford crystal light I picked up in the Navy Exchange in the Philippines many years ago.

The picture frames a Bedouin bride necklace of lapis lazuli and silver, something Richard picked up in Saudi Arabia.

Later, when he has time, Richard plans to build a corner desk to go on the wall with the weaving scene. We'll move one of the couches to that wall. The couches unfold into twin-sized beds, a bonus when family was here. We also put 2 cots and a toddler bed in this room when the family was here. 5 girls loved having a private space of their own while visiting.

As a final touch, Dave Geisert, https://www.facebook.com/davegeisertconstrustionartistryinwood/

our contractor, also turns wood, blending two or more types of wood together and making one-of-a-kind urns, vases, and bowls. The pieces are gorgeous works of art, and we are privileged to have one of his vases on display in our little cabin room.

The Deer Appear...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Wed, 31 May 2017 00:32:00 +0000

I'm testing a new camera today so the pictures aren't as clear as usual while I get used to using the zoom lens. Sammy and Buddy wouldn't hardly be still enough for me to get good shots! As we walked back from the bridge today, a herd of deer appeared in Sammy's yard. The does have been scarce lately, they've been having their babies and laying low. I got one good photo. I also got plenty of photos of the birds at the feeders at Mom's and Pa's back porch.

Sammy and Buddy share a moment at the bridge.

As we turned up the road to Sammy's house, the deer wandered across her yard.

The turkeys are back.

The cardinal took over the South Pole feeder while a turkey wandered across the meadow.

This little hummer fluttered so fast, the camera couldn't capture her wings!

This little guy is the male of the species - a ruby-throated hummingbird.

The red-wing blackbird was shaking his feathers, I had the camera propped on the rail.

This is a woodpecker...I think it's a hairy woodpecker? Or pileated. I get them confused.

The wild daisies growing by Mom's and Pa's driveway.

A couple deer wandered right across our front lawn and I was able to snap a couple quick pictures.

A closer photo of the second deer. Not sure if that's a shadow of the trees on her belly or if she's losing her winter coat.

Hail, Hail, The Gang's All Here...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Sun, 28 May 2017 00:14:00 +0000

The early morning walks have been chilly the past few days. Yesterday was a little warmer and as we walked dew touched everything. Today we had a hail storm! Hail the size of a half dollar rained down for about five minutes. The vehicles got a good cleaning and the Honda has some dents in the roof and the hood.

A spiderweb draped in dew.

This armadillo made little huffing noises as the dogs tried to nose in and see what it was up to. Not sure if it was warning them off or was afraid. We keep them on the leash, so were able to amble on our way once we let them have a quick, curious sniff.

Two deer bounded out of the field on the right, and this deer stopped and danced a little in the road as she spotted us. Sammy alerted, but Buddy was too far behind. I cropped the photo to bring her in closer, we were actually a good football-field length away. Once her curiosity was satisfied, she bounded into the woods on the left and disappeared.

Every morning, after we drop Sammy off at her home, we meander down the road with Buddy to porch sit with Mom and Pa. Buddy gets a drink of water and a piece of cheese from Pa, and we watch the wildlife feed at the benches and the bird feeders that Mom and Pa have out. Today, these two turkey hens were in charge of the corn bench.

When we work outside, we generally let Buddy run around the yard for a bit. We have to keep an eye on him as he loves to run off to splash in the creek. Usually he finds a good spot in the yard and settles in. Occasionally, he likes a good roll in the grass. :)

The white bits on the ground are not rocks, they are hail. The translucent orbs are water droplets and the white orbs are hail coming down. It was hailing so hard the hail was bouncing six steps up on the covered porch. I was afraid the sun roof on the car would be broken, but it survived intact. The wind whipped leaves all over the yard, so we have a bit of a mess to clean up in the next few days.

Dinah the black cat was under the porch and got scared from the pounding hail, so she took off running to hide under the car...and when that got hammered, she took off for the back deck, trying to find a place to hide. I called to her, but she was so frightened she couldn't figure out what to do. When the hail stopped, she streaked inside and hid behind my pillow on our bed.

Around The Countryside...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Wed, 24 May 2017 20:57:00 +0000

On May 20th, I took this picture of the phoebes in the rafters, and discovered not four, but five of the little birds! The next day, I went out to capture more photos, expecting them to be exploring a little and perhaps catching them in the act of learning to fly. They were gone. The nest was empty. This was the last shot, before they left the nest for good.

Five little phoebes.

The off and on again rain has made for some pretty cloud cover. Sometimes we only have a little, other times fluffy puffs float across the sky. Sunrise as we head to the bridge.

A puffy cloud is outlined by the sun.

A closer shot of the puffy cloud.

Buddy surveys the kingdom while Sammy gets a back scratch from Richard.

This little guy tucked in as soon as the dogs got curious!

Porch sitting at Mom's and Pa's. The little yellow finches are dominating the South Pole feeder.

Went to The Cook Shack (https://www.facebook.com/TheCookShack/) for dinner and a Luna moth had parked on the window screen all day. Thanks to proprietor, Pam, for taking the picture for me!

We had to run an errand in a nearby town and took the scenic route home. The cows in the pasture and the clouds in the sky made for a pastoral scene.

This old barn holds the timbers of its former glory, faded with time.

The peach tree is fruiting out and is growing tall, too.

The raised beds - left is the potatoes and right is the lettuce, radishes and green beans. We hope to enclose the entire garden area, including the fruit trees and bushes, in a covered cage to keep the wild critters from eating our food!

First harvest of the strawberries. There was only one, the others are still ripening.

Stormy Weather...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Sat, 20 May 2017 14:16:00 +0000

We had a few days of almost cloudless weather, and then the spring showers came along. It's been really good for the garden, not so good for the morning walks.

The weather is capricious, this clear sky is what we saw as we went around the bend.

The cool of the night causes a light fog, and the warm mornings burn it off. About ten minutes after I took this picture, the low-lying fog was gone.

On the way home, this rabbit stood and watched us for a few minutes. He was about ten feet away from us, and although both dogs were showing interest, the bunny didn't move for a bit, and then he casually hopped off, unafraid of the dogs.

Buddy sulks when it's cloudy and rainy, he doesn't get to go for a walk, and often, he doesn't want to go outside if it is thundering and/or if there's lightning.

Of course, Christian loves it when we stay inside because of the storms, he gets to lollygag all over my desk, occasionally stirring to climb in my lap for a cuddle.

The phoebe chicklets are growing fast, here's all four of them (one is only showing tail feathers).

Richard is still archiving old photos (both hard copy and on digital media). He came across this one. This was taken in 1989. I think it's our last Change Of Command ceremony while in Guam, Richard is wearing his sword because he was the Officer In Charge for the ceremony. The tradition dates back to the old days, when a party of officers was attacked at a gathering, and none had weapons. It was then decreed that the OIC would always have a weapon...hence, the sword.

Around The Deck...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Mon, 15 May 2017 18:46:00 +0000

Every year, a little bird called a phoebe makes a nest up in the eaves of the covered part of the deck. When she is there, we cannot use the deck for two reasons - she gets agitated if we appear in what she considers her space, and...she poops all over the deck as she goes back and forth feeding her babies! We only have to wait a few weeks after the chicks are born to get the use of our deck back for a time...and then she builds another nest later in the year, and starts over with more kids!

Looks as if there are 4 kids this year - I think the middle head is mama.

It's 83 degrees out there today, I suspect the little ones are getting overheated. For the past few years when it's been hot I go out there with the ladder and a spray bottle of water and soak the babies, the nest, and even the wood above them so they don't die of heat stroke. They look like fledglings, I expect they'll be flying off in the next week or so.

I'm trying to outsmart the deer and other wildlife this year. I did it once before with a few pots, but this time, I've expanded my deck garden. Orange tree, lemon tree, tomatilloes, 3 kinds of tomatoes, 2 kinds of squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, jalepeno peppers, poblano peppers, strawberries up on the top rail, and 2 watermelon plants. FYI - I grew the lemon tree from the seeds of a lemon I bought at the store two years ago. It's now about 10 inches high.

This is the herb garden. It grew like mad and I had to give all the herbs a haircut today. From left to right, cilantro, basil, parsley, and oregano.

I read online that one can preserve both the flavor and freshness of herbs by putting the leaves in olive oil, and then storing them in the fridge. I found some little jars and did just that. Excuse the hillbilly redneck duct tape label, I couldn't find my nice labels.

A Perfect Horizon...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Sat, 13 May 2017 21:40:00 +0000

Usually, when we leave the homestead, the sun isn't visible. It's sunrise, but we can't see it due to the high horizon and trees. But occasionally, we leave a little late, and then we can see it.

Sunrise over our trees and driveway.

Going around the bend and down the hill, the sun disappears again, but leaves a coral glow in the clouds.

Sammy is so joyful about being out, that she and I run ahead of Richard and Buddy. But every few feet, she stops suddenly, and makes sure that they are still behind us.

Every year the swallows nest in the crevices under the bridge. When we approach, they start flying about, trying to chase us away. It's hard to tell in the photo, but there's a cloud of black spots in the air in front of the trees, and one swallow to the left, between the rail and the cement barrier.

Pa has left a portion of his yard wild, a small patch we call the jungle. It is home to a host of birds, bunnies, and probably other wildlife. There were two bunnies, but one ran off. This one stood still as a statue for several long minutes. When my camera flashed, it took off.

Several turkeys nest just behind the parents' property. Pa puts out corn for them daily. This young hen came up by herself yesterday. They usually come in groups.

As we walk down my parents' private road, the scent of roses fills the air. These are wild multi-flora roses, they do not have the big, tight buds or numerous petals of modern roses. The scent is richer, with a slight cinnamon overtone, that accompanies us all the way home.

We know Spring is here when the robins arrive. Usually, they are fat from winter feeding. As they take to nesting, the birds tend to slim down a bit, from all the work of building a nest and raising their young. This robin was hopping about the yard yesterday.

We always have butterflies, and though I've seen quite a few, they've not been settling down so I can get pictures! However, this Red-Spotted Admiral finally allowed me to get a photo before it flew off.

A late-blooming iris. Just FYI - we planted only light lavender irises. I'm not sure what causes them to change color, but everyone up and down the road now has some white and deep purple irises, too.

A walk about the property revealed that the lilacs I planted to honor the memory of Richard's mother, Alma, are finally blooming. One of them struggled for a couple years, but both are now doing well.

The potato bed is thriving. Yes, we know the bricks need to be re-pointed...all in due time!

The peach tree is thriving, we were worried about the late frost killing the blooms, but we covered it with blankets (and damaged quite a few blooms), and somehow, most of them have turned into peaches! Still have to figure out how to keep the wildlife from eating them before we can harvest!

1rst Week Of May...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Tue, 09 May 2017 16:15:00 +0000

We've been taking our daily walk with the dogs, stopping in to visit with Mom and Pa and taking pictures of the scenery and the wildlife. We're working on a number of things in preparation for the visit from family this summer, doing some building, and also planning some surprises for various people! :) There's always a birthday or anniversary to celebrate.

A few years ago, Pa planted a whole bunch of light purple irises along their driveway. With cross-pollination of our local bees, some of the irises have changed colors as the years go on. In this picture there are three colors - dark purple, bi-color, and a golden iris. None of these irises are the original light purple that Pa planted!

The golden iris. You can see streaks of purple through the petals.

The bi-color iris.

The dark purple iris.

The valley we walk through on our way to the bridge has a hay meadow for the neighboring farmer's cows. We've seen lots of critters in the field, skunks, possums, and rabbits, mostly. Occasionally, we are surprised to see low lying fog as we go by, and when we turn around to come home, the fog has burned off already!

Buddy enjoys the sunlight at the bridge.

Sammy snags a snuggle from Richard at the bridge.

A gathering of daisies in the ditch.

The Missouri primroses are blooming in the rocks and poor soil.

A monarch landed in our yard!

Sammy Takes A Walk...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Tue, 02 May 2017 13:56:00 +0000

Richard and I have had an exciting couple weeks. We were invited to two revivals (and went to both). We've been working inside and out, Richard mowing and cleaning out ditches, me cleaning, writing and even a little sewing.

In the course of talking with one of our neighbors she mentioned her German Shepherd was jealous of our walks to the bridge with Buddy, so of course, I said I'd be more than happy to walk Sammy with us! Today was the first day Sammy got to walk with us, since we've had rain all week!

Spring is definitely springing, we've had some wild visitors and the green things are growing.

Vanessa Atalanta dropped by. We've had painted ladies, checkerspots, duskywings, swallowtails, a few I don't know the names of, and even a Monarch. However, Vanessa is the only one who stayed still long enough for me to grab a camera.

A blue jay hides in the pines.

There's a woodpecker nest to the left of the bird.

The irises bloomed.

My peach tree has fruit! We had covered it for the unexpected frost but were afraid we'd lost the blossoms anyway. Apparently not! Now, if I can only harvest before the deer get the ripe peaches!

The potato be Richard planted in mid-February, we weren't sure they'd made it through the surprise frost a couple weeks later. They did, and we have very healthy plants growing!

Fog drifting in the valley as we walked to the bridge a few days ago.

Sammy gives Buddy a kiss at the bridge. She enjoyed the walk very much and we'll be walking her with us a lot more often.

Sunrise And Some Wild Life...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 16:06:00 +0000

We take our walks early in the morning, often walking out of our driveway before the sun is fully up. The pink stretch is the sun below the horizon, glowing off the clouds.

It's an odd thing, but through the mile to the bridge, the sky changes colors, and the surrounding area can look completely different in the light just a few yards away as we walk.

Pink sky at morning.

As we continue down the road, the sun starts comping up.

Halfway down the road, the sun plays peekaboo.

Along the way, the domestic life takes a peek at the strangers in their midst.

A ground web is covered in dew.

Not sure of the genus just yet, I'm guessing it's a duskywing, but I'm awaiting confirmation.

I Moved The Furniture Around...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Sat, 15 Apr 2017 22:44:00 +0000

The animals all got discombobulated and had to try everything out as if it was all new!

Buddy tests his couch to make sure I didn't do anything to it.

Christian and Emmy have the same body language and expression!

Then they settled on the other couch. Of course, Christian has to stretch out.

This is a rarity - Emmy and Dinah usually fight with each other.

Emmy is a Daddy's girl - she loves Richard.

She is more shy around me, but she loves my fuzzy fleece jacket.

Richard was doing something with the tools and Dinah did NOT approve of him setting his drill on her bed.

And then there's Christian, doing what he does best...napping! I leave these pictures to speak for themselves...

Good Friday...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 14:05:00 +0000

In anticipation of Jesus's Resurrection, our neighbor's cross is draped in royal purple this Good Friday.

Morning Walks...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 10:56:00 +0000

Almost every morning we walk Buddy to the bridge. I take pictures along the way if anything catches my interest. These photos were taken on different days.

This is right outside our driveway, looking east (the bridge is to the west). Sunrise was very pretty, with the pink clouds and blue skies.

A lovely golden sunrise, taken just about halfway to the bridge over an adjacent meadow.

At the creek, there's a beaver family, they've been there for years. We rarely see the beaver, but lately, the animal's been a little less shy and I've taken some decent pictures. Here he completely ignored us, and continued to eat.

I don't believe this is the beaver lodge, it's just a pile of sticks gathered together. The lodge is situated under the bank on the opposite side.

The beaver is now swimming towards the lodge. The pile of sticks is to it's left. By the way, the pile of sticks is now gone from the creek a week or so later.

A turtle rose to the surface to check us out.

A raccoon runs across the meadow and into a drainage pipe to hide, probably from us, despite our distance from it.

Out And About...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 19:11:00 +0000

We had beautiful weather for the last week or so, getting up into the 70s in mid-February! I started walking to the bridge with Richard and Buddy most days. A few photos of cloud cover during that time.

On the way to the bridge, just around the farthest bend.

In the lower right corner, you can see the peak oof Mom's and Pa's house. This was looking over their roof at the pretty pink clouds of sunrise.

Around The Homestead...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 08:59:00 +0000

Wispy pink clouds at sunrise.

A bird's nest I found on the ground by the well...guess the wind blew it out of the tree.

Buddy looking handsome.

Dinah hides in Tayla's stroller.

Christian does what he does best. NAP!

Reviving my blog...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 20:09:00 +0000

It's only fitting that when I decide to revive my blog, I start with a post about the last thing I posted in 2015!

We went to the Eagle Exhibit again and got to see Phoenix and Aquila, again!

This is Phoenix, the bald eagle.

This is Aquila, the golden eagle.

We then went to lunch with Mom and Pa, who went to the Eagle Exhibition with us. Pretty cool day all around!

Nature And Conservation...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Sun, 11 Jan 2015 02:28:00 +0000

This morning we went with Mom and Pa to the local Department of Natural Resources Center and saw a presentation on eagles - specifically, the bald eagle and the golden eagle. This included getting to observe, up close and personal, two captive eagles that were injured and wouldn't have survived in the wild, so live in a habitat and go on tours to teach about their lives. It was very interesting and we had an enjoyable day with Mom and Pa.

This is Aquila (which means eagle in Spanish). Aquila is a golden eagle and got caught in a coyote trap in 2005 and required 3 surgeries to learn to fly again. However, because of his injury, he cannot fly far ,so he now lives in a special raptor habitat at the Zoo in Springfield Missouri. He is about 8 years old.

This is Phoenix. When she was very young, her transmitter didn't move for 3 days so the DNR folks went to check on her. They found her lying on the ground, barely alive, for no reason they could discern. Because she required round the clock care, she imprinted on the humans, and so cannot survive on her own. She is 26 years old and also lives in the raptor habitat at the Zoo in Springfield, Missouri.

On the way home, we were passing a field and saw two coyotes. This is the male. He took off (after lifting his leg on a bush). Then he paused and watched us for a good 2-3 minutes before finally loping off into the underbrush. We weren't able to get good photos of the other coyote as it went into the brush very quickly.

We've been busy...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 22:49:00 +0000

The summer was super busy for me. Mom had a medium stroke on June 28 while she was visiting my brother in another state. After she spent a few weeks in the hospital, Richard and I drove up there to escort her and Pa home. They'd gone in their truck, and we brought our 4Runner so Mom could lay down in the back if she got tired. We had a leisurely 2 day drive home, enjoying the sights, and taking our time.

For the next six weeks, many family members came to stay with me so they could see Mom for themselves and know she was doing good. It was very enjoyable but also very busy! We had company clear into September.

In that timeframe, Richard also had cataracts surgery and his yearly checkup on his esophogeal issues. Everything is fine, throat is looking good and he's doing great.

Christian the cat ended up having to go to the vet because he was bitten by something and the bite got infected. He's fine, now.

Christmas came with visits from the kids, we enjoyed their stay. Mom and Pa went to visit my brother again for Christmas and had a great time, this time!

A few days after Christmas, Richard had terrible pains in his stomach so I tok him to the ER. They checked him out and determined he needed his gall bladder out. He had to go in for a few more tests before they took it out, to make sure all was well with his liver and kidneys. They took his gall bladder out on 2 days ago, and released him to go home yesterday. He is recuperating well and there are no issues.

I am still working on my goals of finishing up all my craft projects, and cleaning out my craft closet and room. So far I'm doing pretty good, I've catalogued the things I've finished on my sewing blog. In addition, I have also passed on some things that I finished - several people got some of those quilts and some Christmas presents I made. Everyone is happy!

My goal for this year is to continue working on last year's goal of decluttering all the stuff we have. I've made a grand start - I got Richard to build more shelves in our closet a few months ago, and we re-painted the closet, too. We donated about 1/3 of the closet's clothes we no longer wear. We also invited the kids to take some of the clothes, and surprisingly, they did find a few things they wanted. It helps that we're all the same general size!

As I was putting all the Christmas decorations away last week, I decluttered them, too. Threw out all the broken ornaments and lights, got rid of bedraggled decorations, and boxed up all the non-sentimental ornaments to pass on to family members or to donate.

Today I attacked my dresser and got rid of a black garbage bag full of socks, T-shirts, tank tops, swimsuits, shorts and jammies I no longer wear.

Here is a gratuitous picture of Christian doing his favorite thing...sleeping.

I hope everyone has a blessed new year and that you and yours will prosper!

End of an Mural...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 02:51:00 +0000

Back in October 2007, Richard and I tiled our guest bathroom while our house was still being finished. Because of our Southwestern look, we had a photograph that Pa took at Hovenweep National Park, Utah, made into a tile mural and put it over the bathtub. This is what it looked like.

Despite being sealed, over the years, the tile photo has degraded, due to water damage from the shower. Our neighbor has touched it up (she's a painter) and afterwards, I sealed it again. However, despite her excellent painting on several occasions, the picture has deteriorated even more. I finally made the decision to peel it off the wall.

It didn't take much. A couple hours work with a nail file, a scratch pad and water, and the Hovenweep mural is no more. Maybe one day I can replace it with a better tile photo application process.

The smaller photo tiles I have scattered on the other walls are intact and still look great.

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 00:40:00 +0000

My beautiful Flint has stepped over the Rainbow Bridge to be with his lifelong pal, our princess, Echo. He was my faithful, loyal companion all of his life, I chose him because when we went to the Humane Society to get a dog, he ran up to me, stuck his head between my hands and begged to be petted. He was my defender, no one could get near me if he thought they could be a threat…even Richard. He had to be in whatever room I was in, and when I left the house, no matter who was here, he wailed piteously, as if he’d lost his best friend. And now, my heart is broken again. I have lost my little prince.

Flint Moonbaby

September 2002 – July 9, 2014

“And this puppy he lived with only one thought, to love and be loved by me.”

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle The Lion Sleeps...

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 18:22:00 +0000

I looked out the kitchen window and what did I see...

Christian enjoying the warm summer air and lounging on one of the chair cushions. I've bought fabric to remake the covers, just haven't gotten around to it, yet.

noreply@blogger.com (Merry) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 12:54:00 +0000

It's been raining off and on for a week, good for the garden, but pretty much keeping us indoors. Richard has been reading books on the Kindle, I've been writing, editing and keep thinking I'll do a little sewing, but haven't actually made the time for it. We did do some clean-up between rains - power washed the front porch, put all the winter cat box houses away, washed the cat bedding , cleaned the furniture and freshened everything up. The door trim needs to be painted, so I bought some paint for that, but it's too damp to paint just yet.

Buddy sulks when he cannot go on his walk. Here he is, back in his cubby behind the kitchen cabinets.

The lone paw dog...

Rainy days makes all the animals hibernate. Christian and Buddy share the couch.

Flint curls up near the front door.

Emmy begs for treats from Richard. She'll sit there and wait patiently for quite a while. The fire-eye she's giving him is a trick of the light...I hope.