Sunday, March 15, 2015

Hi everyone,

I did something this past week that I haven’t done in probably two months!

“What’s that?” you ask.

I went for a run. And that is where and when I took this photo of Bagnell Dam which is my current desktop photo.

I’ll tell you what. The day after my run I was so sore I could hardly move.

“You want some aspirin?” Mike asked when I whined about it.

“Naw. I’ll be okay,” I said.

A little while later I get up and moan and groan as my muscles complain.

“Take some aspirin,” Mike said. “Or do you just want to suffer and complain about it?”

I laughed. This conversation normally happens in the reverse. Then I went and got some aspirin.

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Hey! Check this photo out. Mike and I had gone to a flea market in Jeff City and if you didn’t know this about me already, know it now. I have a bit of a glass fetish. I love glass. So when I spot these, I had to stop and check them out.

Can you see what it is?

Back behind the antique butter churns are three towering towers of glass towers. My eyes are glued to them so hard and fast that it takes me a while to see the sign declaring them as “Yard Ornaments”.

I don’t care what you call them, they are just plain cool! And clever! Someone has found a very creative and artistic way of using all those glass plates and bowls and vases that litter flea market booths every where across the country.

I touched one, out of curiosity, to see how well they were stuck together and they seemed pretty solid to me. I’d love to know what was used.

The price? Are you asking if I looked at the price tags?

I did! And I thought they were pretty reasonable too. Twenty dollars for an original piece of art. Twenty dollars for all the time and materials and talent that went into it. What a deal, what a deal!

“Did you buy one?” you ask.

No I didn’t. I love them. But you know what? I have enough stuff.

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I think spring is my most favorite time of the year. After spending a couple of months taking photos of Winter Flowers it’s nice to take photos of live things again.

Sometimes, out of nowhere, a bird dives past me and sits so pretty - and close - to me, it’s almost like they are asking me to take their pictures. I know, I’m silly. A fluffy little black capped chickadee did just that. He swooped past me, sat a few feet away from me, looked at me, preened himself a little, then went on his way.

We came across an armadillo foraging. I couldn’t get very close before Itsy and Ginger barked and scared him away.

The same thing happened when we saw this whistle pig too.

 Itsy and Ginger started barking and scared him away. So when I reached the site where he had been, I left him a little present. I dug around in my Dog Poop Bag and came up with the little baggie of cat food that I carry with me and left a handful for him.

Oh my gosh! That reminds me of a funny story I heard this past week!

Ellie Lofaro was guest speaker on Focus on the Family, one of the programs on the Christian radio station I listen to at night. This particular episode was geared towards raising kids in a Biblical way.

The teenage kids went to their father and said, “Dad, we know you have a rule against R rated movies, but we really want you to make an exception just this one time. We really want to see this new movie that just came out and everyone at church says it’s not too bad. There are lots of good things about this movie and a few bad things. It’s got all the biggest names in the movie industry in it and it’s got a good story line and an uplifting ending. There are a few bad words in it and there is a sex scene but it’s mostly off camera.”

Dad says, “Well, I can tell you’ve given this a lot of thought. Give me a day to think about it and I’ll let you know my decision.”

So the kids go out of the room high-fiven each other and they’re just sure they talked their dad into letting them see this movie.

The next night they go and find their dad and ask what he decided.

“You can go see the movie,” he said, “after you eat one of these brownies. Now there’s good things about these brownies and there’s bad things. I made these brownies special for you. They are rich and moist and there’s frosting on the top. I used the finest chocolate and the freshest ingredients. But here’s the bad thing. I mixed in a spoonful of dog poop. But I’m sure I baked them long enough to kill any germs.”

The kids walked out of the room.

I laughed and laughed. What a good analogy.

But I got sidetracked.

My Dog Poop Bag isn’t for carrying dog poop. It’s for carrying the things I need when I walk my dogs. It’s ninety percent plastic bags that I recycle for use in picking up dog poop.

The mailbox is still sitting halfway down the hillside with it’s flag still up. I’m sure I first photographed and showed it to you a couple of years ago.

The catkins are blooming.

I was really surprised to see them because one time I walk past and there is nothing there. No leaves, no blossoms, not buds, nothing. And the next time I walk past I see this.

Most of the catkins are long and straight, but once in a while you get one guy that is totally screwy. You know what I mean?

　

A young squirrel sits and watches us pass.

Well, I don’t know if he was young or not, but he didn’t appear to be very large, so I got the idea he might just be a young squirrel.

There were two turtles on the turtle log at the pond sunning themselves, but I only got one shot of the two of them together before one took off. This guy hung around a little longer and because he let me get a little closer, it’s the better photo. But trust me, he was keeping an eye on us and soon dived into the water too.

And I got my first shot of purple this spring! The henbit is in bloom. I can’t wait for the plums to blossom.

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Miss Helen had her 94th birthday this past Friday. We all got together and took her to Golden Corral for her birthday dinner.

In the picture from left to right is Mike, me, Margaret, Marsha (Miss Helen’s daughter) and Miss Helen. Isn’t she just beautiful!

Even though taking Miss Helen to dinner was our gift to her, I got her a card and decided to make her another homemade dish rag.

I don’t really need an excuse to give Miss Helen a homemade dishrag, I’d already given her three of them before. But I started making round ones and this one, believe it or not, is my first attempt at a scalloped edge. (Yah You Tube!) And her birthday was just the excuse I needed to give it to her.

“It’s pretty enough to just hang in the kitchen,” Miss Helen said.

“Don’t you dare!” I told her. “I made it for you to use.”

“It’s a good size,” Marsha said admiring my work. “Not too big.”

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I have two more stories for you and less than half a page left of a six page letter. Oh wait, I have three more stories for you!

Sigh.

Next time then.

Let’s do April birthdays.

Katrina Kraft, 2nd; Jesse Adam Herold, 3rd; Leonard McDonald, 10th; Mark Zabitz, 10th; Tylar James Kraft, 12th; Joyce Franklin, 13th; Alexis Marie Bowers, 15th; Yvette Enders, 18th; Della Franklin, 18th; Justin Michael Bowers, 20th; Mary Agnes Smith, 22nd; Barbra Marie Milne Fenske, 24th; Beverly and Allan Shedd, 28^th. The Shedd’s not only had the same birth date, they also made it their anniversary date.

Please you guys, if I missed someone (I don’t always remember to add them to my birthday book-I even missed my own grandson once!) tell me. If you want to add information to the list, like middle names or maiden names, tell me. If I spelled a name wrong, for heavens sake, tell me!

Lots of love,

Peg and Mike