Holy shitski . . . and . . . merdeski too . . .

A few years ago - not today's Hawk

 After spending a short time this past Friday at a Walk-In Clinic to find out that I have indigestion which is really hurtful and allergies that are driving me mad and not getting too much relief after the visit I went to my primary care doctor yesterday about 35 miles from home and along with Friday's medicines I was given four more medicines. After reading all of the dire consequences if these new prescriptions don't agree with me or the regular prescriptions I take daily I decided to only use prednisone - one at 8pm last night and  one at 8am this morning. Well . . . that certainly did the trick . . . I am wired. Dante's Pop, I'll change his name as I see fit depending on which grand animal suits my fancy at the time I'm writing, offered me breakfast this morning at James' in town but I asked to go to the Bird Man in St. Francisville. It is a very cloudy, overcast, dark, Connecticut, November yucky day here in Louisiana but the people, food and spirits at the Bird Man were a balm to my crazy spirit and body.  After breakfast we checked out my Mississippi, still way below normal; the cruise ships must dock across the river and the people are bused in from the west bank to St. Francisville on the east bank. Dante's Pop suggested I leave my camera home because he knows me so well that even though the dark day would make picture taking more than difficult he knew I would have to walk the river bank and try to take photos anyway! So without my camera we still prowled My Favorite River and saw a marvelously huge hawk in an extremely tall tree right along the bank as we watched three barges working their way carefully along the muddy waters of the channel. I also prevailed on Daytona's Pop to cross My Audubon Bridge to see if the Pelicans (the birds not the so-called Basketball Team) were still hanging around Pointe Coupee Parish. Not a single bird of any sort was seen but the ride over My Bridge was heavenly as usual. I think I have to find a way to get the authorities to close My Bridge to cars so that I can walk across my domain from East to West and then back again from West to East. I might need a day or two because I no longer walk with any speed whatsoever! That is one of the trials you face as you are almost ready to be 79 years old and start your 80th year on God's Planet.

When we got home I decided to take my walk in the neighborhood while Charlie's Pop was at South Park flying his models. I saw a neighbor who had back surgery about two years ago and whose husband died while she was hospitalized bending over the drainage ditch in her yard using two rakes to pull leaves out of the culvert so water could flow more easily. She then bent over from the waist and with wet gloves was putting the leaves in a plastic bag and bringing the bag to her garage. Honest to goodness! What else can you do but offer to help! So there we were two gray-haired geniuses raking wet leaves from the ditch. I managed to get more leaves up to her and as she almost fell over I insisted she stand up straight and I managed to get a pile of wet leaves on more even ground and borrowed her wet gloves to put the pile into her plastic bag. Phew! Then we walked to her garage, she carrying the bag of leaves and I with the two rakes. We did it and were proud of our work! I said good day to our neighbor and continued my walk. Of course the walk led me to the other end of the hood and a large, beautiful hawk was perched on the cross piece of a jeep in another neighbor's yard. I rushed home for my camera but when I returned it was gone. I knew that that would be the case but I had to try even though the chances were slim that I would ever get off a shot. Oh well, que sera sera. 

I shall leave this gobbledygook here because I must go make some sort of chicken salad for sandwiches later today.

PS I also had a bout with Anthem. A hospital in Zachary has been trying to collect $467 from me for something that took place in February 2019. We do not owe them but they have been threatening to send the bill to a collection agency and I have been trying to get Anthem to straighten out this mess for the last few months. So I was at it again today and today's Anthem lady said she would take care of it. I asked what I should do if I get the bill again in January 2022 since my insurance will change January 1, 2022. She told me to hang on to my Anthem card and call them if it keeps happening!!! Oy vey! 

Quote: You  cram these words into mine ears against the stomach of my sense. _______Shakespeare

Phone call made me laugh . . .

 I rarely answer the phone as P&D's Pop is in charge of the phone but he is off on errands this morning and I had to answer the house phone. It was for P&D's Pop but since he wasn't here the man asked me a few questions. He was from the Advocate and wanted to know if my husband would have written a letter to the editor. He had our email address and phone number on the letter that had been submitted on line and he was making certain it was really P&D's Pop's letter. I told Mr. S that I was not privy to what my husband does at all times but if he would read the letter to me I would probably be able to tell if he had written it. So he gave me the gist of the letter which was based on an article in yesterday's paper about making an official graveyard for all governors on the grounds of the state capitol. Well as soon as he mentioned that and the prison at Angola in the same sentence I told him I was quite certain that was definitely my husband's letter. We both cracked up. I imagine it will get published soon. He left me with his name and number in case I was mistaken but we both knew there was no mistake in figuring out who had written the letter. It's so much fun once in a while to find someone with a sense of humor. Of course it would be even better if our knuckle-headed politicians didn't take themselves so seriously and really believe that they should set aside a place of honor in a graveyard at the State Capitol for bloviating, self-serving, criminals at taxpayers' expense. Any righteous former Louisiana governor would be appalled at being offered burial with the the crooks of former times or the crooks in the making! I mean we're talking about governors who have spent time in jail for goodness' sake. Office holders in Louisiana seem to consider it a badge of honor to have at least spent some time in prison. When you follow their antics in the press you realize that what they say and do really does qualify them for space in jail!

Anyhoo - it was fun speaking to someone who seemed to appreciate P&D's Pop's letter. 

I guess it's time to finally get back to doing some baking and normal activities now that my right hand, arm, elbow and shoulder are starting to come into compliance with normalcy. I have cut PT back to twice a week although I still work out on my own four days a week. Onward I shall go until I come as close to normal as possible. What the heck - normal is a state of mind so I've just got to set my mind to what I will accept as right for myself!
 

Quote:  Indifference never wrote great works, nor thought out striking inventions, nor reared the solemn architecture that awes the soul, nor breathed sublime music, nor painted glorious pictures, nor undertook heroic philanthropies. All these grandeurs are born of enthusiasm, and are done heartily.____Anon  

Amazing day . . . amazing grace . . .

 I did it. I went to the Early Learning Center and helped out for about two hours with eight four year olds. Oh my gosh! I was in heaven. I didn't do much but it was enough to make me feel happy, bright, smiling and appreciative of the people who allow me to enter their classrooms. I enjoy watching the children with their teacher and I am so happy when I can do any little thing to help make the class run smoothly. The teachers don't need me but it gives me pleasure to just be a part of the lives of these wonderful little people even in a minor way. I felt somewhat tired as I hadn't been to help out in 18 months. Yes, eighteen darned months mainly because of the scourge attacking our families, friends and towns. When I was finally ready to go back I fell and messed up my right shoulder and today I finally made the move. I don't regret it at all; wish I had acted sooner but I'm pretty sure I wasn't ready any sooner than now. I'm still going to PT and working out six days a week at home besides but my right hand, elbow and shoulder are very far from managing mundane tasks well. I will persist until Patrick, my physical therapist, the doctor and I feel that I've gotten the absolute most from the therapy. In any case I now have a smiley place. Everyone should have a place where they can be a part of children in action. It never ceases to be amazing, instructive, heart-breaking, exciting and super.

Was called to supper so I'll be off to eat.

Quote:  The cynic is one who never sees a good quality in a man, and never fails to see a bad one. -He is the human owl, vigilant in darkness and blind to light, mousing for vermin, and never seeing noble game.   ____H. W. Beecher

What the heck . . . I may be back by default . . . Facebook won't open up for either Puppies & Brit Cat's Pop or me . . .

This beautiful evening has presented itself. Excellent! (en francais, bien sur!)

Only cropped - after my early morning walk. Handsome Dad

Practicing for All Hallows' Eve

Very pretty Eastern Blue Bird on the wires this morning enjoying the sunrise.

 

 So . . . here is a little paragraph or so that I wrote sometime before noon today and tried to put it on my iPhone but it wouldn't download to Facebook. Tough titties!

It doesn't get much better than this. Puppies & Brit Cat's Pop had some business to attend to for our Biggest Big Kiddo and I was on my own. I rarely use CVS coupons but I had $25 off of a $99 spree. I love pretty greeting cards so I bought ten lovelies, still for an unreasonable amount, but I was happy. Then, since I was footloose, I decided I had to say hello at the Early Learning Center. It's been over a year since I last helped out so I was hoping it was okay to stop in. I didn't stay long but it felt so good to be back visiting with all and sundry. When I left I felt determined to follow through on volunteering again hopefully on a Thursday or Friday. Feeling absolutely rambunctious I sped off for Clegg's to buy some beautifully colored mums, a warty, ugly pumpkin (only big enough for me to carry when I have to consider that aggravating right shoulder) and a cute white/yellowish one. I was ecstatic and so damned proud of my myself. I got home super excited. As I was slipping out of the truck, I slip out because my left leg likes to thwart me when I get down from the driver's side, it dawned on me that I didn't have my key to the house. Yup! I haven't needed a key since June 12, 2021 in Dallas, Texas when I fell and ruined that right arm and shoulder. Puppies & Brit Cat's Pop was always home for me so I never even considered that I no longer carried my purse full of junk which included my house key! At least I had my phone and I called him to see if I should drive the 35miles to get the key but I lucked out as he was just finishing up the work he had set out to complete. Yay for me! 

The Big Kiddos' Dad got home at noon and I was able to go in the house to eat a quick bite and shower before going to my thrice weekly two hour PT session. I was really lucky! Anyhoo . . . that's it. I have no idea where this Facebook stuff will end. But that's okay. It can be annoying except that I like to post my birds, flowers and bugs on the special FB sites. I may have to stick to this poor excuse for a blog.

Quote:  Doing nothing with a deal of skill. ______Cowper

Quote:  Heaven, the treasury of everlasting joy. ____Shakespeare

Not sure if I'm back . . .

 I've not posted since I fell at a Control Line Flying Contest in Dallas where I ruined my right arm and shoulder on June 12. So I've been pretty miserable since then. I was operated on in Baton Rouge but only on June 22 since there was not an operating room anywhere to fix my misadventure until that day. I will not describe all that happened; suffice it to say it has been Hell. But I have a reverse total shoulder replacement.

"In a reverse total shoulder replacement, a surgeon removes the rounded head of the upper arm bone. Using screws and special tools, he or she attaches a plastic socket to the remaining bone. The surgeon also removes part of the socket of the shoulder blade. This is then replaced with a metal ball." Found this on line. It was no fun.

But today I felt like putting up a couple of photos. It is really difficult therapy for me to hold the camera but it has been good for my brain and my aching body.

Let's see if I can find a quote: The most painful part of our bodily pain is that which is bodiless or immaterial,  namely our impatience, and the delusion that it will last forever. __________Richter

(I hope it is a delusion.)

Not a superior day for sure . . .

My special UK Marble

 Not in the  mood for the camera and photos but I love my beautiful Marble photo. It is always on the center island in the kitchen so I can smile all day long when I walk by and see it. I need calm at this moment!

I drove to Zachary for a follow up appointment at 1:30 with the orthopedic doctor and he wasn't there. The poor lady tried to explain that the office had tried to call me and cancel the appointment. She said they tried to call yesterday. Well that is impossible because there are no calls listed on the phone from BROC yesterday or this morning. Somehow there was a mistake made and no one will accept the responsibility. I was bummed. I asked if another doctor at the Orthopedic Clinic could see me as it was just a follow up and she said that was impossible. I'm Dr. W's patient and he is the only one I can go to. She asked if I was having any problems. I said no and what was I supposed to do now? I suggested she ask Dr. W if it was necessary for me to see him or could I just call if I had any more problems. She said that was a good idea and would call me today or tomorrow to let me know what he said. I really liked him but the office visit we were supposedly following up on was also a mess. I was told to be there at 1:30 and then they called and told me to only come for 3:30, which I did, and he saw me at 5pm. I left his office after 5:30 and didn't get home until almost 7pm. I was pretty disgusted with the waiting but the shot he gave me has worked very well as has the physical therapy. I'm through with the PT but make sure do to my daily exercises and walk for at least 45 minutes at least 5 days a week. So I guess I won't worry about seeing him again unless the crazy hip acts up.

To reward myself (I really wanted a Black Russian to go) I stopped at Marble Slab and ordered a Hot Fudge Sundae with coffee ice cream and walnuts. Their ice cream display case was broken so they had to go into the deep freeze in the back of the store to scoop the ice cream. My sundae came back with green ice cream. I didn't even bat an eyelash - I paid for it and ate it all. The truth is I have no idea what kind of ice cream I ate - it may have been pistachio or mint - I couldn't tell and I know that my taste buds are pretty good even though I'm getting to be an oldster.

 After I got home the men came to fix our problem with the air conditioning at a cost of $1077 with our discount. It is worth having One Hour on call for our air conditioning and heating. We have never had a problem with the people who come to our home. They are efficient, nice, good people. They always explain the problems we have and how they are going to fix them and the cost up front. They will also let you know if there is problem that they can't fix and what must be done to get it taken care of. It is a blessing to have a company we can count on. Our home is about 25 years old so some things will always need fixing!

Enough complaining for today.

Quote:  Little, vicious minds abound with anger and revenge, and are incapable of feeling the pleasure of forgiving their enemy.   ____Chesterfield

Quote:  To see what is right and not do it, is want of courage.   ____Confucius

Couldn't help myself . . . the clouds were beautiful . . .

 Amazing cloud formations after supper this evening. I couldn't get them to look like the real thing but these aren't too bad.

 It was a run around kind of day. Had my yearly Wellness Visit with my primary care doctor in Zachary today and she was ecstatic. It seems my blood tests showed up as that of a 40 year old woman. Cool beansies! Now if the rest of me would regress to 40 years old it would be perfect! 

Having some issues with the air conditioning condensation drain upstairs in the attic. It'll be an expensive fix; the men  will be back tomorrow. PD&C's Pop had to siphon the drip pan today. That was interesting. He is an amazing man. He never ceases to impress me with his know how. 

Quote:  The joys of meeting pay the pangs of absence; else who could bear it?  ___Rowe

Quote:  Nothing in the world is more haughty than a man of moderate capacity when once raised to power.  ___Wessenburg

Much too hot and muggy . . .

The strutting turkey is in his backyard which borders the Park. There are no fences so once in a while you may even find some of the neighbor's chickens have laid eggs in a ditch!

Good looking Turkey!

Northern Mocking Bird

Red-headed Woodpecker

PD&C's Pop winding up the control's for his plane. Calling it a day.

 Had to walk in the gym at North Park this afternoon. 91 degrees in the backyard with 65% humidity is most uncomfortable. I really am thankful that we have superior accommodations and good people in DS. The funniest thing is I was trying to listen to Audible on my hearing aids and I couldn't hear anything coming from my little iPod. I was fiddling with it in every way I could as I walked until I finally reached up to check on my hearing aids - I didn't have them on! Jeez Louise, if this is what growing up is all about I will have to slow down. Since I had the entire gym to myself  I was able to listen by putting the iPod pretty close to my ear. It worked out okay but I drive myself crazy when I do stuff like that!

Even with all of the rain we've had I had to water the tomatoes, cucumbers and flowers. Since they are all in pots it is a tiresome chore. I like to do it when it is cool out but in the summertime it is a lot of work, especially for lazy moi! I have to stop adding plants to my menagerie but I find it hard to resist buying all those beautiful flowers at Clegg's. I'm hooked and must control the urge to stop there when I'm roaming around town.

LSU Baseball has managed to make it into the second round of playoffs for the College World Series.  I stayed up until 12:23 last night to watch them win their second game of the day or be eliminated from the competition. I find it exciting to watch the young players trying to do their best to keep moving up to the finals. It really would be a shocker if they can pull it off. GEAUX TIGERS!  

Quote: The deepest wishes of the heart find expression in secret prayer. George E. Rees.

Quote:  Those who are greedy of praise prove that they are poor in merit.  ___Plutarch 

Quiet day . . . peaceful . . .

Great Egret stalking its prey on our neighbor's lawn which looks like their private pond!

Even though this could be a better photo I am so happy to have taken it. It is very difficult for me to get either the Carolina Chickadee or the Tufted Titmouse in a photo. I was excited to get them both in one photo. Yay!

One of my best photos of the Carolina Chickadee. I only have a few others where the focus was good.

Not as well focused as I would have liked but pretty neat anyhoo!

Red-bellied Woodpecker has been a regular this year. Very nice.

 I only left the house today to go to North Park and walk in the gym. The humidity is stifling. There were three young men who came into the gym while I was walking. There are often big kiddos and men, an occasional woman coming to practice basketball in the gym.  I make sure I am not in their way and stick to the sides and the entrances so they have the hoop free. But there are side hoops too and sometimes it can get a little tricky walking. Today I found the small side gym where they hold exercise and dance classes free so I moved my walking to the smaller area.  It is still a good sized, air-conditioned room. As I was listening to my Audible a woman came in and I was getting ready to leave because I thought there was a class coming in. Pat said there was no class and she saw me walking and decided to join me! So I turned off the iPod and she followed me as I put in my forty-five minutes. It went well as we walked and chatted. When I left she said she was happy I was there or she would never have walked as much! I told here I was at North Park almost every afternoon during the week. She said she'd probably come again. She used to go to the classes before the pandemic pandemonium; today was her first day back to the little gym.

Took these photos yesterday when the rain finally quit for a while. I was pleased to see the birds come. We even had birds seeking shelter on the back porch during the rain! Neato!

We watched LSU Baseball yesterday. They won two games.  They are playing at 9pm tonight. If they can win they will be going on to play more games; if not they will be done for this year. We're rooting for them.  It has been a tough year. Their coach is retiring when their season is over. Here's hoping Coach Mainieri can get a few more wins. 

Quote:  He that is not open to conviction, is not qualified for discussion.  ___Whately

Quote: The dews of evening -- those tears of the sky for the loss of the sun. ___Chesterfield

Libellule at breakfast plus a loss . . .

Dragonfly breakfast

 

We are disappointed that the Killdeer eggs have disappeared from under the Magnolia. It seems that PD&C's Pop was wakened by a commotion outside the bedroom window at about 4:30 am a couple of nights ago. There was an owl hooting right close to the house. Well, yesterday I tried to see if one of the Killdeer was sitting on their eggs; to my chagrin there were no Killdeer to be found and the eggs were gone. There were no signs of the eggs at all, only a depression. We're not sure if owls eat another bird's eggs but I imagine it must be a distinct possibility; it could also have been a snake or a raccoon having an early morning snack. We are a bit miffed. We were looking forward to watching the little tykes hatch and take off  for their adventures. But Mother Nature has a way of keeping the world in balance so there's no use in complaining. What ever got the eggs probably needed sustenance and in the grand scheme it most likely all worked out  well. We were cheated out of a nice little display, that is all.

I have never caught a Dragonfly eating breakfast before! I didn't realize what I was seeing until I focused in on the pretty, green Libellule and saw something red in its maw. I decided to try to video what was happening. It didn't take long for the pretty little red beastie to disappear. 

Did my Saturday morning washes and cleaning so now it's time to relax and read to my hearts content - it is another rainy day in the South.

Quote:  True delicacy, that most beautiful heart-leaf of humanity, exhibits itself most significantly in little things.  ___Mary Howitt

Quote:  Blush - The ambiguous livery worn alike by modesty and shame.  __Balfour

Well that was somewhat annoying . . .

Chasing the Little Blue Heron

 

I was putting my photos on the Birds of the Eastern United States Facebook site and I accidentally put them up before I had included name of bird, date, place and the video. I immediately tried to rectify my mistake but one of the moderators had already placed a special note on my post telling me I had forgotten to include the aforementioned items. Yikes! She must have an automatic response that immediately yells at someone who may have forgotten all the items needed for posting on the site or she has nothing else to do but watch the site for egregious errors 24-7! Well, I'm sure they all mean well; there are 32.3K members so she must be forgiven. It is not a paid position after all. I just checked the site and she removed her admonishment. Cool beansies.  I've got to cool down my annoyance level!

We brought our son's Pupster back home this morning. Their fishing trip was great for a few days and then the weather made them pack up and come home three days early. We were impressed with the number of fish they brought home all cleaned, filleted and frozen. Hoping there will be a Fish Fry soon. M makes the best fried fish ever. I never liked fish until we moved to Louisiana and now I will even order it in a restaurant. But M's is still the absolute best. 

Had to walk in the gym at North Park for last couple of days. The humidity is stifling; the rain hasn't helped even though it is not a constant downpour. Time to get the supper on the table.

Quote:  He that is good for making excuses, is seldom good for anything else.   ____Franklin

Quote:  No man was ever so completely skilled in the conduct of life, as not to receive new information from age and experience.   ___Terence

Too many photos . . .

Eastern Bluebird sitting for a photo shoot.

I was enthralled with the photos I was able to take yesterday at South Park. PD&C's Pop invited me to go  with him while he walked the Pupster, our son's old puppy who is staying with us while her humans are catching all the fish in Texas! That's just a little exaggeration. It has taken me quite some time to thin out the photos and I'm finished. This little ladybird stayed in front of the camera lens for a long time.  It was unexpected and rare. But I'm always excited and pleased when I can take more than one photo of a subject.

I spent the day doing some grocery shopping, reading the tiny bit of news fit to be in print and having lunch with my true love. We had a late lunch at Big Mike's so I didn't have to cook dinner. I also indulged in a to go Black Russian which I have nursed for over four hours. I keep adding ice and it is just perfect. That was to celebrate beating AT&T at its own game, kinda! We have one old prepaid cell phone and one new version of the same old flip phone that we had to buy since the old phones are  not 5G compatible. We only use them for emergencies; we've been having trouble when we try to use them to make sure they are working properly from our home.  I called that awful company and explained the problem yesterday. It only took me an hour on the phone with three different people from three different departments to end up with the last lady hanging up on me and then charging my awful new flip phone $4 for the call AT&T initiated. I tried to call 611 this morning to get the money put back into the account and of course because of the crazy pandemic they can't answer the calls in person. That ticked me off so I went to the AT&T store which is about a mile from our house and spoke with a very nice young man. He had the charge reversed! Now that was great. I feel badly for the young people who work for AT&T because they have to put up with a lot of disgruntled people and there really isn't anything that the company will do to help their workers deal fairly, calmly and well with customers. Of course AT&T wants me to get an iPhone through them but I have an iPhone through our daughter-in-law's plan so I don't need anything else. The only reason I have kept up the old flip phones is because we've had the prepaid plan for years. Way back when the company was overcharging their customers the government made them reimburse the customers they had defrauded. Now we're stuck with these two weird phones and the company won't allow me to put the money from the two accounts together in one account. They still owe us about $160 in minutes and are always trying to get us to miss the yearly deadline to renew them. I make darned sure I keep up with the yearly deadline or we will lose the money. They will not send us the money and close the accounts so we have to play their game. It is tiresome but rather funny. Of course I despise dealing with AT&T but most of the young people I've dealt with when I have a complaint are very nice. As a matter of fact I think that the lady who did hang up on me probably didn't do it on purpose. She was trying to send me some kind of code and I never managed to find it  - poor woman.

Oh well, time to call it a day.

Quote:  The moral progression of a people can scarcely begin till they are independent.   ___Martineau

Quote:  Eloquence is vehement simplicity.  _____Cecil
 

Nature's stories are unending . . .

Killdeer trying to distract us so we don't find the nest.

Killdeer

Hoping there will be more than three eggs.

Taken through the slats in the gate.

  I had been weeding under the Magnolia in the front yard while PD&C's Pop was mowing. When I finished weeding PC&D's Pop pointed out  that there was a Killdeer running around like mad on the front lawn. I got my camera and saw the bird in this odd pose and then recalled that a few years ago we had a Killdeer nest on the opposite side of the house right in front of the gate in the fence. Of course we never used the gate or mowed that section of the lawn until the babies hatched - four of them! Now it seems we have another pair with three eggs, so far. PD&C's Pop found the nest just a foot or so from the spot I had been working on. I took the photo of the eggs with my Panasonic FZ 200. The last photo I took through the slats in the gate on this side of the house. Of course there will be no mowing or weeding on this side of the house until the little ones hatch. Point of interest: a few years ago a Red-eared Slider laid her eggs on the edge of our front lawn, right near the road. So my husband put up a sign to warn the neighbors that we had a turtle nest and to please not drive too close to the edge of the road. When they did not hatch in the given time he was worried because the ground was no longer wet - it is clay and it was all dried up - so he carefully unearthed ten little ones just in the nick of time. Our neighbors brought them to a clear water stream at their camp. Pretty neat! 

Quote:  If idleness do not produce vice or malevolence, it commonly produces melancholy.   ____Sydney Smith

Quote:  Idleness is only the refuge of weak minds, and the holiday of fools.  ____Chesterfield

Missed the best photos but still managed to get a few . . .

Red-winged Blackbird

Beautiful Eastern Bluebird but the sun was too bright. Still I like the shot.

Blue Jay

Fledgling Female Cardinal 

 

 This has been one of the most beautiful days ever - dry, breezy, sunny, a few puffy clouds. I walked in the afternoon because I went to Mass this morning. I didn't even get too hot and miserable! It is so amazing and almost strange here in Louisiana when we don't have muggy weather. You could just stay outside all day.

 I must have picked about 40 little tomatoes today. They are surprisingly delicious. We can never seem to find a slicing tomato that comes even close to the taste of the tomatoes my Pépère grew in our garden on Highland St. Extension. The little patio tomatoes are the closest we've come to getting some real flavorful, tasty fruit. My Marketmore Cucumbers are inching along beautifully. That is what we grew in Moosup.  I hope they will be sweet and crunchy. If I can pick them when they're little we'll be happy campers! The vines are going crazy-wild climbing up the fence. PD&C's Pop stapled some twine on the fence. It looks as if our neighbor shall get to pick cucumbers too at the rate the vines are climbing the twine!

I'm still not used to not going to the cemeteries on Memorial Day. We've now missed 6 years of not putting flowers on the family graves. My cousins do place beautiful pots of flowers they arrange themselves for my parents, little sister and my mother's parents and my great-grandparents but I miss my visits to the cemeteries. I used to bring the kids for walks in the cemetery that was not too far from our home. I've always found cemeteries to be peaceful, grace-filled places to listen to quiet nature as she comforts us who have been left behind. For some reason I feel I should be praying Vespers. 

Quote:  The human race is in the best condition when it has the greatest degree of liberty.  ___Dante

Quote:  The true danger is, when liberty is nibbled away, for expedients, and by parts.  ____Burke

Haven't been taking too many photos . . .

First Monarch that allowed me more than two seconds to grab a photo.

Day Lilies

Blue Sky Vine - finally!

 

 

 

 

 

It looks like we're in for a storm. There's a bit of thunder in the distance and darkening skies. Poor Puppy, she's afraid but we'll protect her! Not much we can do but talk to her and hold her tight. It's been a heavy day so far; I guess it's time for the air to be cleared. Hope it doesn't bring a deluge. The lawn and flowers are finally looking good - a little rain will be fine.

Had to break for supper. It's still stormy but not outrageously stormy. Time to call it a night.

Quote:  Where judgement has wit to express it, there is the best orator.    ___Penn

Quote:  Truth is the foundation of all knowledge and the cement of all societies.   ___Dryden