"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." ~George Bernard Shaw

"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time." ~Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn


Monday, September 28, 2015

It's Awww Monday! September 28, 2015

Video credit to Just Eat Real Food 
 
Cats truly are awesome and annoying delights!!! Enjoy and do thank
Sandee for Awww Mondays!
~~~~
 

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Magpie Tales 287 Lucky Ducks

Photo credit: Gerrit Photography
 
Men Seeking Women
 
Personal ads from the 80's 
No electronic emails then
Only newsprint pages rustling
Heard while riding on the bus 
 
I read "Genuinely nice man"
No mention of "fireside talks"
Or "walks on the beach"
Straight forward honest words
Serendipity.
~~~
Well over 25 years ago we managed
to find each other. We are lucky ducks.
 
 
Thanks to Tess Kincaid for Magpie Tales !

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Six Words and Sunday Shadows September 26-27, 2015

Can you guess what these are???
 
 
 
Sitting at a picnic table we saw these....
 
 
All lined up ....
 

 
When we looked up we had the answer!
 
 
 
Here's a photo of the tiny seeds found inside!
~~~~
Have a great weekend!
Don't forget to check out

Friday, September 25, 2015

Feline Friday!!! September 25, 2015

 
One of my favorite cats!
 
 


Thanks to Steve of BFDude
for Feline Friday!
~~~
 

Thursday, September 24, 2015

One Lucky California Acorn Woodpecker....

This little woodpecker*** slammed
into one of our front windows as
it was being chased by a local hawk.

Fortunately we heard the "thud"
and went outside to see what had happened... 


Russell held this beautiful bird to keep it warm for about 30 minutes while it regained
it's senses and was able to fly away.
Hopefully it was okay. 

We do love our wildlife.
~~~~


Monday, September 21, 2015

It's Awww Monday! September 21, 2015

Our Awesome Day...
Yesterday we drove up to Jacksonville   
which is close to Ashland Oregon.
I had signed us up for an afternoon
of wine tasting. Here are a few photos:
 
There were several Trolley buses
that shuttled us from winery to winery....
 
The Daisy Creek winery was especially
pleasant with a grape arbor and lamas
nearby. They raise the lamas for
the wool and I bet the fertilizer helps
grow all the luscious grapes.
 

This lama was especially friendly as
I was feeding him fallen apples
from their orchard.
 
 
There were also oodles of different butterflies.
 
 
After touring 5 wineries we opted
to get a bite to eat at Deja Vu .
 
 
Fred insisted on joining us....
 
 
Needless to say we had to tuck him
into bed once we got to our B and B!
We stayed at The Bybee Historic Inn .
It was only a little bit out of town and
was a beautiful place to stay. It was
incredibly gorgeous and was built in 1857.
Two years before Oregon became a state! 
~~~~
Check out below for more Awww Mondays
and don't forget
to thank Sandee of Comedy Plus!
 

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Six Words and Sunday Shadows! September 19-20, 2015

 
Russell keeps painting....
 
 
I keep shadowing....
 
 
Finding silly shots....
 

 
Stacking more wood....

 
Spotting small objects....
 
 
Hah I gotcha!
~~~~~~
 
 
 
 

Friday, September 18, 2015

Time for Feline Friday! September 18, 2015

 
Blissful pose.....

 
 
Blissful toes.....
~~~~~
Let's all thank Steve of BFDude
for Feline Friday and for heavens sake
have a happily blissful day!!!
 

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Wednesday's surprise!

 
Mama mia !!!  Tacchinos !!!***
 

 
Wild turkeys !!!***
I know they are here because
it isn't Thanksgiving!
( it's a joke - we do not hunt )

Monday, September 14, 2015

It's Monday! Awwww! September 14, 2015

 We love all the animals
we see on our 10.5 acres. 
 
 
After all they were here first!

 
 
 
 
 
We've learned to expect that they
will periodically eat some plant we
wanted to keep- but we've learned to
either accept those vegetative losses
or plant them where they cannot
get to them. That's why our veggie
garden is totally fenced!
 
 
Have a totally awesome day!
~~~
Thanks Sandee for Awww Mondays!


Sunday, September 13, 2015

Magpie Tales #285 Once Upon a Time


 
Once upon a time
in a land far away
A dollhouse sat alone
No children there to stay
 
The nursery was empty
Babies grown and left
And the lonely dollhouse
Was really quite bereft
 
She sits there dreaming
Waiting for that day
When little hands once again
Will come to her to play.
 
 
Aline Smithson
~~~~
Thanks once again to Tess Kincaid
for Magpie Tales and this
enigmatic image to inspire us!

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Saturday Six Words and Sunday Shadows September 12-13, 2015

 
I will never forget that day...
nor should you.
 
September 11, 2015
7:42am PDT
~~~~~~~~~~
Fourteen years ago almost to the
minute I first heard about the
World Trade Center. By the end
of that day my innocence and
 trust in humanity was shattered.
~~~
Click on these links to see more

Friday, September 11, 2015

Feline Friday September 11, 2015 Lucy's Dream

Lucy is dreaming of a more peaceful and kinder world than what we are living in now. Since September 11, 2001 there have been   more wars, more disrupted countries and more deaths all in the name of one god or another.
Lucy and I dream of a world that is peaceful and where we are all respectful of each others
differences. Right now we live in a very precarious time. 
 
 
Just imagine what we humans could
accomplish if there were no wars. 

 
~~~~~~
 

Monday, September 07, 2015

It's Awww Monday! 9-7-2015

 
The Oak trees have not even begun to change color, but we had to build a fire two nights ago!
 
 
Lucy did not mind in the least!
~~~~
Big thanks to Sandee of Comedy Plus
for giving us Awww Mondays!
 

Sunday, September 06, 2015

Magpie Tales #284

Image provided by Tess Kincaid of Magpie Tales

Few came home
From that sodden bloody battlefield
Where James died

Image borrowed from internet
~~~~~
"Where have all the flowers gone?"

Saturday, September 05, 2015

Six Words and Sunday Shadows September 5-6, 2015

Kitchen mathematics...
September is the time to harvest!
 
 
3 pears x 15 = 8 pints of pear sauce!  
Into the freezer!

 
Peeling the pears is the most time
consuming part- adding a bit of water,
lemon zest/juice, cinnamon, sugar
and cloves is the easy part.
Most went into the freezer.
Some went into my mouth.
(Making sure it was good enough!)
 
Moving onto too many zucchini...
 
 
I ended up making 10 loaves.
5 went into the freezer,
Russell inhaled 1 and I gave away 4.
 
Sequestered Basil and Sunflower
(Because Lucy eats Basil and Sunflowers I was forced to place
them up in the garden window above the sink...
so far Lucy doesn't go up there!)
 
And then there's basil which equals Pesto!
Paula and Jay's Pesto
2 cups fresh Basil
1 cup nuts
(pine, walnuts, even shelled
sunflower seeds are tasty)
4 cloves garlic cut up
1 cup olive oil
1 cup parmesan, romano, asagio cheeses
(your choice-I like to mix 'em up a bit)
freshly ground black pepper and salt
(I don't use salt, but some folks like it)
Put the basil, nuts and garlic into a food processor
Whirl/pulse until well acquainted
Add olive oil and process just until mixed.
Stir in cheese, black pepper and eat.
 
So far I've made countless batches of
Pesto....of which only two have made it
into the freezer! It's addictive!
~~~~
Have a great day and don't forget to
drop by and check out Six Words

Friday, September 04, 2015

It's Feline Friday! September 4, 2015 Oh Lucy !!!

 
Lucy looks so innocent....

 
But she is far from it....



She is pretending to smell the flower....

 
But look closely and you will see
something yellow in her mouth....


Success for Lucy!
 Now I'll just move the flower
where she cannot reach it!
Lucy is pretty hilarious!
~~~~
Have a great Feline Friday and
remember to thank Steve of
BFDude for starting Feline Friday
to prove he really loves cats!
 
 

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Magpie Tales #283

Peonies, William Merritt Chase, 1897

On our wedding day
You gave me hope
You opened the door
To our wonderful life
And I have never been disappointed
~~~~~~
Thanks to Tess Kincaid for Magpie Tales
Have a great day!