Just living is not enough. Said the butterfly, One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.
Hans Christian Anderson

I planted my blue moon wisteria today.  It's a southern flower but this new variety says it will survive to 30 below zero so I searched for an found one.

Watered garden, one hour

Lots of plants on sale at Fleet Farm today that I wanted but no extra money.

 

Summer Solstice

 Pictured is Jenny's new haircut

So was I once myself a swinger of birches

 And so I dream of going back to be.

 It's when I'm weary of considerations,

 And life is too much like a pathless wood

 Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs

 Broken across it, and one eye is weeping

 From a twig's having lashed across it open.

 I'd like to get away from earth awhile

 And then come back to it and begin over.

 May no fate willfully misunderstand me

 And half grant what I wish and snatch me away

 Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:

 I don't know where it's likely to go better.

 I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,

 And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk

 Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,

 But dipped its top and set me down again.

 That would be good both going and coming back.

 One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.

This partial poem is called Birches by Robert Frost

 

Tags: robert frost, poetry, summer solstice, summer,

Fun in the sun and riding the rails with Thomas #1

Those little blue plastic pools are well worth the price...what fun they hold for children.

Also went to 'Sodor' to see Thomas the Tank Engine and a nice lady gave us two tickets to ride which lasted about 45 minutes.  So tired at night, kids left about 7 and today I slept until noon LOL.

The sad picture of Hali is because I was taking too long to get her a popsicle...she sure loves popsicles.  Owen climbing up the mouth of the crockodile...he was a little scared he would run across Captain Hook but climbed inside anyway.  My finger on the lens of the picture of the Thomas train when it pulled into the station.  Mr. Conducter said 'tickets please' and punched them just like in the movie, Polar Express.  Hali standing alone by the little pool...first time...that's mud, not poop on her butt hahahaha.

Tags: Thomas the Tank Engine, Sodor

I had the best time with these guys today!

Flag Day

A beautiful sunny day

Some days are GREAT!  I say if you feel sad, read sad stuff, cry, and get it out of your system, then move on.  So today I ran across a rose sale and I got an armload of pink and yellow roses.  I don't do good with roses but I like them and so I'll try again.  I do have a little rose garden but the only thing than grows in it are one Chocolate Joe Pye and a lot of mint.  Had a tooth pulled today...ouch!  Nice dentist though, told jokes all the while.  The numbness hasn't worn off yet but he swears it isn't going to be painful, we'll see.  I sure do get scared when I go to the dentist, what a coward I am.   Well I have to go out and move the sprinkler to another shady spot...have a great evening.

Tags: Hybrid Teas Roses, Tootsie Roll Pops, Robins

Some days are not as easy as others

ROCK ME TO SLEEP

BACKWARD, turn backward, O time, in your flight,
Make me a child again just for tonight
Mother, come back from the echoless shore,
Take me again to your heart as of yore;

Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care
Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair;
Over my slumbers your loving watch keep;
Rock me to sleep, Mother-rock me to sleep!

Backward, flow backward, oh, tide of the years
I am so weary of toil and of tears;
Toil without recompense, tears all in vain--
Take them, and give me my childhood again!
I have grown weary of dust and decay--
Weary of flinging my soul--wealth away,
Weary of sowing for others to reap;
Rock me to sleep, Mother rock me to sleep!

Tired of the hollow, the base, the untrue,
Mother, O Mother, my heart calls for you!
Many a summer the grass has grown green,
Blossomed and faded, our faces between.
Yet, with strong yearning and passionate pain,
Long I tonight for your presence again.
Come from the silence so long and so deep;
Rock me to sleep, Mother-rock me to sleep!

Over my heart, in the days that are flown,
No love like mother-love ever has shone;
No other worship abides and endures-
Faithful, unselfish, and patient like yours:
None like a mother can charm away pain
From the sick soul and the world-weary brain.
Slumber's soft calms over my heavy lids creep;
Rock me to sleep, Mother-rock me to sleep!

Come, let your brown hair, just lighted with gold,
Fall on your shoulders again as of old;
Let it drop over my forehead tonight,
Shading my faint eyes away from the light;
For with it's sunny-edged shadows once more
Haply will throng the sweet vision of yore;
Lovingly, softly, it's bright billows sweep:
Rock me to sleep, Mother-rock me to sleep!

Mother, dear Mother, the years been long
Since I last listened to your lullaby song.
Sing, then, and unto my soul it shall seem
Womanhood's years have been only a dream.

Clasped to your heart in a loving embrace,
With your light lashes just sweeping my face,
Never hereafter to wake or to weep;
Rock me to sleep, Mother-rock me to sleep!

ByElizabeth Akers Allen

A beautiful Spring Day

I got the tomato plants in and the new Lavender.  Still have a few annuals to plant and the Canna Lilies.  I'm not sure where I'm going to put them.  The backyard looks kind of like a park and on these cool Spring days it's so nice to be out there.

The picture is a candy dish I made today.  Just painted a chicken feeder and added a canning jar to it and put in a bag of Skittles.  I guess I should have put in two bags as there is still a lot of room.

Farmer's market was this morning also.

Lots of birds in the yard with their pretty songs.

Packer Tent Sale at Lambeau Field

The inside picture is the Lambeau Field Atrium where the sale took place.

The 'sky' pictures are outside in the front as you go up the steps.

The flower garden is in front of the two statues.  It looked very pretty and was a nice combination so I wanted to remember it.  The first row is Dusty Miller, then Marigold, Yellow, then Marigold, gold then Spider Plant and then white (those little bushes that used to get a lot of ants on, can't think of the name...at least that's what I think they were.

A dim little rainbow

Yummmm...Rhubarb Bars

Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups oatmeal

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) I used walnuts

Filling

3 cups cut up rhubarb

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine crust ingredients until crumbly.  Press half the mixture into a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Reserve rest for topping.

In a saucepan, combine rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and water.  Cook until clear.

Blend in vanilla.  Pour over crust.

Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. 

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Tags: rhubarb recipes

D-Day June 6, 1944

The D-Day operation of June 6, 1944 brought together the land, air and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest invasion force in human history.  The operation, given the codename OVERLORD, delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France.  The beaches were given the codenames UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO and SWORD. The invasion force included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries.  Almost 133,000 troops from England, Canada and the United States landed on D-Day.  Casualties from the three countries during the landing numbered 10,300.  By June 30th, over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies had landed on the Normandy shores. Fighting by the brave soldiers, sailors and airmen of the allied forces western front and Russian forces on the eastern front led to the defeat of German Nazi forces.  On May 7, 1945, German General Alfred Jodl signed an unconditional surrender at Reims, France.

Orange

The assignment is take a picture of something orange.

From top left, clockwise. 

The little duckling that has taken up residence on my computer monitor for 3 years.

The little china doll that gives smiles.

Hali Anne's teething toy.

One of my garden angels by her orange toadstool.

Here's John's blog so you can send your own http://journals.aol.com/johnmscalzi/bytheway/

Rainy Day Number Three

There's a lot of fun to be had in old neighborhoods with muddy driveways...splashing is so much fun!  The vacant house on the corner has a big front porch just right for a little pirate's ship.  It was pouring rain on these pictures, the second day and now we have the third day of rain but Owen is back home and won't be coming until library time tomorrow.  It's supposed to be sunny.  I got the linen closet cleaned out today, funny the things that I save.  I had a whole big shelf of sheets that I used to cover plants when the frost warning came...about ten years ago...I threw them out along with a lot of other stuff.  My motto make do, or do without has finally reached the do without stage as no one would want the things I am finished with.  I hope to go stock up on well water, yogurt and fruit and then stop at the garden center and get some annuals for a few pots I have.  First, though, it's nap time. 

A rainy Saturday at Bay Beach

I have a screened porch that my cats like to sleep on in the warm weather and I enjoy having my meals out there and reading and swinging in the hammock swing too.  Lately one of the baby birds (they have left the nest but aren't quite flying yet) likes to jump up the steps and visit the cats.  Cats on the inside of the screen and baby bird on the outside of the screen.  My three cats go up close with that sly cat stance and baby bird on the outside rests his little body by his new 'friends' and goes to sleep.  Mama and Papa bird are up in the tree scolding baby bird but he keeps doing this anyway.  Each time he gets fed he hops up on the steps and goes to sleep next to the cats.  Well this afternoon when I went out to have my lunch on the porch there they all were...cats and bird sound asleep.  I would have taken a picture but I didn't want to frighten the bird.  It was the cutest thing.  Peace to everyone and have a wonderful weekend.