Say Cheese :)

I love to take pictures. I have gotten much better at it since my honey bought me a new camera.

I never run from a good Kodak moment. I have taken countless pictures...pictures of the "Money Pit"...pre-construction...and during construction...and the now "BlessInn"...the finished (almost) project. I have taken pictures of Cailyn and Carter...many, many pictures! I have taken pictures of the deer in our yard...just like you, ML!

I know that I will be taking many more pictures in the future...like when all the "little birds"...and "grandlittle birds"...are here in just a few short weeks. These pictures will be tucked away...and at some future gathering...pulled out...dusted off...and looked at...and all the memories will come flooding back. That's what pictures are for, right?

I have seen other people taking pictures of many things over the years...things they want a memory of. Things like animals at the zoo...large historical buildings...beautiful sunsets...old cars...new cars...pets in silly outfits...family members...flowers...beaches...mountains...you get the idea.

Today I saw a rather bazaar Kodak moment. I still can not figure out why this event had to be documented...why this person needed to have this memory. Not only was it strange that this person had a camera with her...but even more mind boggling as to why she chose this particular place to use it.

Today I saw a woman taking a picture of her very cute little girl...at the movie theater...in the ladies room!! As I walked in, the little girl was standing by the sink and the mom said "say cheese!"

My brain snapped a picture of that and I am afraid it will be a memory for a long time. Some things you just want to forget.

A "moo moo" here and a "moo moo" there...

As you all know by now, the "BlessInn" (aka Money Pit)...I like this new name a whole lot better!...is nestled in among some trees. Running along the side and behind the house are two roads...not visible through the trees, but there none the less. I sit on my porch each morning (about 5:30am) to have my coffee and devotions, and I hear the traffic from the early morning commuters. It slows down as the sun comes up, and really is not annoying as I have learned to listen "beyond" the man made noise to the sound of God's creatures.

Ahhhhhh...............there are MANY of them around here.

Not only is there a choir of birds celebrating the new day, but other little creatures I have yet to identify. However...there are two sounds that are loud and clear...sounds I learned about a long time ago singing the familiar childhood song "Old MacDonald had a Farm"! There is a cow and a rooster...typical farm animals...and since there is a farm just across the street it is logical that I would hear them each day.

But these two farm animals are anything but typical. Now, I did not grow up on a farm, I am more of a "city" girl, but I have learned about farm animals on TV and in storybooks, etc. so I think I know "typical". Cows are the big black and white smelly animals that make the funny noise "moo moo". They lay down under trees when it is supposed to rain. Roosters are the ones that wake you up in the morning with a "cock-a-doodle-doo". They can also be found on weather vanes high up on the barn roof.

Am I right so far????

Well, my neighbors are not quite like my storybook friends. At around 5:30-6am each morning I can hear...no, not the rooster...but the cow...mooing quite loudly...waking up the rest of his barnyard friends. Some mornings it is REALLY loud...and goes on for a VERY long time. The "typical" alarm clock...the rooster...does not start his morning ritual until around NOON...way after I'm out of bed...and continues through most of the afternoon. Yesterday it was 6PM and he was a "cock-a-doodle-doin'" away!!

Is this weird...or am I way too "citified" to really know the habits of farm animals? OK...all my farm bred cyberfriends...hit me with your wisdom.

Meanwhile, I will just sit back and relax on my porch...and continue to be serenaded by whatever...whenever the mood strikes them!

Dem bones...dem bones...dem...dog bones!

OK, so I took another trip to my favorite flea market today. You remember...the one with the beautiful and unique wall art. Well, today it was jam packed with people... many people... lots of people. It was a gorgeous day...sun was shining brightly...sky was a beautiful blue...my sister and I were spending some quality time together...a perfect day. And once again...this trip did not disappoint me. Below is a picture of dog bones that were for sale. Big...huge...smelly dog bones...in every size imaginable (I only captured the biggest ones) but no one was buying dog bones today. Nor were they buying umbrellas...or gutters...even though the nice man with a voice like a circus ringmaster announced that a great rebate...a really nice rebate...a swwwwwwweeeeeeet rebate was available to everyone that bought these gutters. But they were buying things like beautiful purses...and earrings...and funky hand-painted wine glasses...and CDs made especially for little children with names like Cailyn and Carter. And they were having fun just taking it all in...never a dull moment at the flea market. One thing though....they never have any fleas for sale????????????

Whoops! I must not have saved the picture of the dog bones on my phone. But...trust me...they were big...and huge...and smelly!!!

Not this "Groundhog's Day"

So...my honey and I were relaxing by the pool after a hard day's work...well, one of us was working hard while the other was "bored" and complaining quite loudly as she wanted to spend the beautiful day doing something other than working around the house like going for a motorcycle ride or walking in the woods or swimming in the pool, but he says "a farmer's work is never done" which is funny because all we can farm here is rocks and he was so very busy pumping water out of the holes left by the trees knocked down for the pole barn so that the project would not be delayed waiting for it to dry up. WHEW!!

So...we finally made it out to the pool around dinner time. It was actually my honey's first day in the pool. We had been in the spa once before, but he had not been in the pool. We were relaxing...having a cold beverage...enjoying the late afternoon rays...beautiful...life is grand...at least for some of God's creatures.

Suddenly there appeared...at the edge of the fence...a groundhog...going about his business...probably searching for dinner as he left telling the kids "I'll be right back!" Little did he know his plans for the day were to be drastically changed!

My honey spots the creature, and with testosterone surging says "I must shoot him!" I am not sure which male instinct clicked into gear...protector? (although I really was not afraid of this creature)...provider? (I do have a great cookbook called "The White Trash Cookbook" with lots of great recipes for roadkill and things of this nature)...but off he went to retrieve his BB gun.

He emerged from the garage...BB gun in hand...all pumped up and ready to go (the gun, not him, although I am certain that was true of him also)...stood right next to me...aimed...fired...kerplunk! The groundhog fell over instantly. I responded with "good shot" which my honey says was the nicest thing I ever said to him???? I will never understand how the male mind works!

We then shared a private joke about dumping the poor little creature into the septic tank. Why, you ask? When we were first looking at the property the real estate agent...yes, the intoxicated one...told us that all you have to do to keep your septic working properly is to dump a dead animal in it every so often. Wow...who thinks of these things besides sauced-up real estate agents? The Clampets, maybe?? My honey dumped it in the woods.

A good day all around for my honey...not so much for the groundhog.

The Pool Boy

My honey and I sat by the side of the pool this morning watching Sebastian methodically clean the pool. I know...that is pretty sad. We could be doing at least a million other "important" things...but there we sat...mesmerized. I am just ecstatic to have Sebastian as my aching 50-something year old shoulders could not have withstood many more days of scrubbing the sides and bottom with the pool brush. While the plaster was curing I had to brush the pool down two times a day...about a 1 1/2 hour process. It seems that either pool cleaning has gotten more difficult to do since our last pool 9 years ago, or I have become weak and helpless in my "old" age.

But, dear Sebastian is just what the doctor ordered! He is thorough...slow...
tedious...making sure that every piece of debris is carefully "swept up". And by the way... he's not bad looking either!! No, we won't go there with the "pool boy" jokes.

I will look forward to his daily cleaning. He not only brightens my pool, but my day! Jessie and I will now take the few extra hours he has freed up for me, and spend it by the pool...relaxing in the sun...reading a few good books...and bonding.

Thanks, Sebastian for for all your hard work!