These furry cows were enjoying some grass and flowers in February, a few years ago. I have stopped at this spot near Fayetteville, TX a few times for cows. In fact I have stopped to "visit with" cows in many, many places! I especially love a trio of cows, because all animals are better in threes! Animal Trios: The 3 Bears... The 3 Kittens... The 3 Little Pigs... The 3 pets in the book/movie, The Incredible Journey... Raz, Muffin and Poutler, the 3 cats Don and I owned in 1979...
0 Comments
I love the color of pumpkins and all their lovable shapes. We may not get great fall colors in the Houston area, but at least we can pick up a pumpkin or two at the grocery story. I still insist on carving one or two each year! Carving Fun: Coming up with the face idea... Pushing the knife through a healthy, thick skin... That musty pumpkin smell... Getting my hands in the gooey innards... Scraping with the spoon... And stepping back to have a look at the glow on the front porch!
This picture from last May amuses me. Scott and Chali had their hands full with their new pup, Lola! As you can see by Scott's grip, it was a struggle getting Little Blue Eyes to hold still for a photo. These 2 have thrown themselves into being good dog parents, despite all they have going on with jobs, internships, grad school and law school. They are arriving late tonight, so I'll once again get to enjoy this trio! My Own Puppy Memories: Clumsy feet and the smell of puppy fur... Mouths at work constantly... Puddles and paper towels... Tugging at leashes... Puppy baths in the hose or tub... Sweet tuckered out pups, finally sleeping!
We've lived next to this lake for nearly 20 years and only a few times have we spotted a swan. This one posed so beautifully for my neighbor, Lorrie and me. We just sat and enjoyed... and I'm suddenly reminded that I take this lake for granted! The weather is ideal today and I should be sitting outside basking. I think I'll wait for sunset and check for swans. Past Lake Fun: When neighbors helped raise baby ducks, (abused by father duck) then all gathered for a freeing celebration... Rescuing many a turtle in the pool and carrying them to the lake... Floating with wine glasses in our clunky, metal canoe... Construction workers amusing us with soccer at lunch, then swimming after the lost ball... The kids fishing in the lake!
This picture of Heidi celebrating her 4th birthday in preschool, cracks me up for a couple reasons. First of all she looks like she's eaten too much cake. Then, I love how she used her scissors to cut around the important people in this photo... Heidi and her 2 "boyfriends". As I recall, the day after this photo was taken, she asked Adam (in yellow) to marry her. Happy Birthday, Party Girl! You are 30 today! Things Heidi Loved at Age 4: Sorbet... her stuffed bunny, Bobby... Puzzles... Singing... Being read to... Animated Disney movies... Her sandbox and trapeze...
The Magic Quilt is getting a good rest these days. I've used it for over 20 years with children and senior groups, gathering on or around... to share stories and fun. It's been washed about a billion times, so the poor thing is faded and repaired. But at some point, I'll get back to my quilt adventures, with kids and adults. Even though it's the quilt that travels, not the people... we always feel like we've been away, after Quilt Time. Real Places the Quilt Has Visited: Iowa, California, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Florida, North Carolina, Mexico, Chile, Honduras, Bermuda and many places in Texas!
It still seems hard to believe that Don and I once lived in Laguna Beach, CA, just a walk from this scene. We lived in a small apartment where open windows welcomed the sounds of seals and mooing cows, at night. We loved our year of bliss, but were just as happy living other places. Good Places I've Lived: Tulsa, with its good size, decent museums and the retro feel of our homey neighborhood... Grinnell, Iowa where we walked home for lunch and Dad biked to campus... Tallahassee with our jungly neighborhood and kids playing in streets and yards... Staten Island, NY at age 6, marveling at living in apartment with elevators and incinerator... And St. Louis, with Mississippi & Brewery smells and so much history!
Today is Don's birthday, so here's a photo that makes me grin. It may be an Easter photo, but I love the little guy in his hat, suit and tie, with basket and animal! He may not love birthdays all that much anymore, but he does love to celebrate just about anything. So we'll find a way to have some fun! Birthday Memories: My 16th when I was thrilled to get a bike, not a car... Don's 40th surprise party when he was too confused to put down his brief case as he socialized with guests... My Mom's 80th when family came from numerous states and wore exotic hats and each planned an entertainment... Heidi's 10th, near Halloween when kids danced the Macarena in costumes... Scott's 4th was a Bird-Day Party, because he loved birds so....
Last fall, Don and I toasted to the most unusual of all our overnight stays, at the Kokopelli Cave in New Mexico. We stepped out of our cave hotel and took wine to this perched piece of rock, to watch the sunset. Toasting and celebrating seems to be a fitting theme, since we will be able to toast to my last chemo treatment tonight... even though my glass will hold bubbling water. We like toasting! Everyday Toasts: Celeb birthdays from Van Gogh to Elvis... To perfect weather... To completing some procrastinated chore... A good doctor report... Full moon... Rainstorm... The house being clean... Family and friends, we miss...
It was a rare moment to find all these empty rockers, last fall. We spent just one night at the Lake Cabins in Yellowstone and found the porch crowded in the evening. In the morning, the air was crisp and the sun was glowing on the Old Hickory rockers. The evening before, we had sipped wine and gazed out towards the lake. We enjoyed chatting with a few other guests and we cringed over some corny jokes, from one lone traveler. It was a treat having the rustic porch to ourselves. Fun Furniture: Hefty leather couches at Old Faithful Inn... Small rockers for kids at Williamsburg Inn... Adirondack chairs at Mirror Lake Inn, in Lake Placid, Craftsmen style wood and fabric chairs, clustered around game tables at Pere Marquette Lodge in Illinois... White wicker, on the veranda of The Stanley in Estes Park...
|
Happy List
|