That’s right – sun! June is nearly half over, but it doesn’t feel like it. We’ve had so much rain the past couple of weeks that I was beginning to think bright, bright sunshiny days were a thing of the past.
Tag: Summer
Goals!
Goals – I has ’em! One of my goals is to get back to a regular blogging habit. To do that, I’m thinking a post per week is gonna be doable.
The only trouble is that I’m already behind schedule. *sigh*
To make up for that, please enjoy this pretty, pretty picture:
We spent last Sunday out on a lake with the kids and the in-laws. We had a picnic at the scenic fish-cleaning station before setting out for an afternoon of tubing. The sun was bright, the temperature was perfect – we couldn’t have asked for better weather. Thank goodness for that, because we ended up rowing back to shore after some engine trouble left us stranded a good half-mile from the dock. Luckily, a passing boater towed us the last fifty yards in. It was a day full of adventures, and a great way to say goodbye to summer.
I can’t believe the kids are heading back to school tomorrow. Where has the time gone?
What about all of you – what have you been up to? What adventures did summer have in store for you?
(c) 2019. All rights reserved.
Conversations I never thought I’d have
“You found what? Where?” Photo by Darrell Gough on Pexels.com
As any mom of boys can tell you, you occasionally have some very strange conversations with them. Here’s a recent one I had with my son, Cricket, about something he found in the yard.
Cricket: “Mom! We found a black and white glob of something while we were creature adventuring. You should come and see it.”
My boys love the show Wild Kratts. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s an excellent show all about animals and their habitats. You can learn more about the Kratt brothers here.
Me: “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.”
*thirty seconds later*
Cricket: “Mom, come on! It’s been five minutes already!”
Me: “I’ll. Be. There. In. A. Minute.”
Cricket: *sigh* “Okay.”
*sixty seconds later*
I venture across the yard to where Cricket is sitting, staring intently at a clump of grass. “Okay, Cricket, what’d you find?”
He looks up from the grass. “Well, we found a black and white glob of something while we were creature adventuring, and I don’t even know what the glob is.”
“Where is it?”
Cricket points. “Right here.”
I stoop to inspect the glob. “That’s dry bird poop, honey. At least, I think it’s dry. Don’t touch it.”
Cricket sighs. “I know, I know, don’t touch nature’s stuff.”
I smile. “No, don’t touch poop. Don’t touch bird poop, cat poop, dog poop, bear poop, elephant poop, your poop…any poop. Don’t touch poop!”
What is it with boys and poop? And why is Don’t touch poop a thing that needs saying?
(c) 2018. All rights reserved.
Ten things
With Labor Day now but a memory, I feel it’s time to kick my blog back into high gear. And by high gear, I mean posting more than once a month.
Because, you know, I’m a writerly type. And writerly types write.
Right?
Right.
Okay, then. It’s been a while! I’m still trying to make my head stop spinning after the whirlwind that was my summer, which I truly can’t believe is over already. It’s true what they say – the older you get, the faster time passes. And with that in mind, here are some of the ways I spent my time this summer:
- Camping. A lot. Camping includes, but is not limited to, swimming, tubing, hiking, fishing, playing cards, roasting marshmallows, grilling, and touring maize mazes, nature centers, petting zoos, and museums.
- Not writing. I’m finally starting to feel the ideas…
Adventure time!
Can you believe June is half gone already? It seems to me like school just ended. Hard to believe that was two weeks ago already. At this rate, my little Cricket bug will be heading off to kindergarten before I know it!
*counts weeks left of summer*
Only ten weeks left. That’s not nearly enough summer! 😀
I had great plans for this summer. Plans for writing and querying. Plans for camping and adventure. Plans for fun. But after a spring filled with revisions left me sapped of my writerly mojo, I haven’t written a word in weeks. So what have I been doing?
Well, I have been camping. Twice, even. We had an adventure at the campground pond this past weekend, and an adventure in an antique store on our first camping trip. Said antique store had a calligraphy set, complete with a pen, four nibs, ink, and instructions for several different calligraphy styles, for only a dollar. I’ve taken up the pen a couple of times, but with less-than-stellar results. I can’t wait till I have more than a half hour at the very end of a long day to get in some practice. 🙂
I’ve listened to birds singing, cats fighting, and thunder crashing. I’ve seen roads washed out and rivers raging. And I’ve read a couple of fantastic books.
Yes, books. Glorious, wonderful books.
I’ve always got something to read with me, but it’s been a while since that something was a book. And not just one book – two books! I’ve read two books in the last two weeks, and it’s been a very long time since that happened last.
Oh, you want to know which books I’ve been reading? Very well, then… (Please be warned: mild spoilers lie ahead.) 🙂
Scale
There are many things I love about this picture:
I love the colors. I love how otherworldly the whole scene feels. But what I love most is the memories I have from the day I shot this picture. I was out in the yard with my kids, teaching them a few things about photography for their 4-H projects. I happened to see this lonely little violet underneath one of the pine trees in our yard, and I couldn’t help shooting it.
There’s a whole other world out there. You just have to get down in the dirt to find it.
Also? That’s a twig in the picture, not a full-size branch. 🙂
(c) 2016. All rights reserved.
Hay!
It was a busy weekend. We built a chicken coop and hung gutters and tried not to collapse in the heat. (I may have collapsed, but not from the heat.)
Still, despite all the busy-ness, I managed to take a few neat pictures of the hay in our newly-remodeled granary/rabbit house/cat house/chicken coop:
I only wish I could have taken more. There was a great view from the first floor, but by the time I grabbed my phone, we’d already strung up the chicken wire for the ceiling. 😦
How was your weekend?
(c) 2015. All rights reserved.
Photo 365 #365
For my final photo in this project, I’ve settled on another one of my many, many flower shots:
I can’t help it – I love shooting flowers. They’re so pretty, and in the right light, they positively sing. I mean, look at those colors! And the clarity of this image – I haven’t done a thing to it, other than transfer the image from my phone to my computer.
I love it when things turn out like this, and I’m glad I can end my photo-a-day project on such a stunning note. 🙂
(c) 2015. All rights reserved.
Photo 365 #364
Despite the heat and humidity, the flowers around our house have been flourishing. Check out these beauties!
I’m not completely sure what kind of flower they are, but we have three different shades of them growing around our house, and they populate the local ditches as well. They’re gorgeous, and every time I see them, it puts a smile on my face.
What puts a smile on your face?
(c) 2015. All rights reserved.
Photo 365 #363
I just love this picture of Shadow:
Mr. Regal was looking rather less regal and rather more ornery when I snapped this. I didn’t even realize he was licking his chops till several hours later.
Don’t mess with Shadow… 🙂
(c) 2015. All rights reserved.
Suddenly they all died. The end. 