photo friday

presenting the kittens i wrote about tuesday; two of them at least!

the kittens making their first approach toward me since mama (on the other side of  kittens) moved them to the porch.  

second photo taken of the kittens first approach toward me.  the third kitten remained just beyond the camera, being a bit more shy than the siblings.  (shy kitten has been dubbed YOU) 

thoughtful thursday

do you ever find yourself thinking about where you were, what you were doing and who you were with a year (a month, a week, several years) ago from the present day?  newspapers publish columns proclaiming "on this date in history" in which we walk back in time while reading.  if we do this for ourselves we can think about our own history in the same way (and be glad it's not published in the newspaper; at least to my way of thinking!).  i find that i think about a specific time most often when that experience was full of happiness, exciting and/or with wonderful persons.  of course, the sad and rough times in life can bubble up unbidden as well. however, it's the good that really comes to mind more often.  it's a wonderful way to keep the best of our lives ever present.

whimsical wednesday!

my favorite emoticon was learned from a new twitter friend, heather.  presenting..........

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miscellaneous

there are a bunch of kitties who have decided to call the farm home.  they aren't pets or companions.  they just want a place to live and something to eat.  they get both. they entertain (if they don't know they are being observed) and surprise. when i returned home from travel last week, it was revealed that one of the kitties was mama to three kittens.  she must have been raising them behind the grandchildren's playhouse in the tall, bushy decorative grasses.  now that they are older they run around the playhouse and the "lawn" in front of the playhouse. currently they are on the front porch as mama must have decided to move them to new digs in the last few days.  the mama is the only outside kitty that will actually come near me and allow me to touch her.  with the kittens intently observing, i have been talking to, stroking and picking up their mama.  hopefully, as this process continues, they will allow me to do the same with them.  no doubt megan and jacob would love having a few more kitties to play with.  and the naming of said kittens will be top priority.  mama i call little bit because she is small for an adult cat.  she and all the kittens are orange.  i'm looking forward to the names the three wee ones will get.  (one has to be named YOU.  it seems that even if critters get names when i talk to them they all become you.  one might as well actually have you for a name!)

shopping is a task i do not enjoy.  it is only undertaken when necessary.  it was necessary last week.  goodness!  going into the store for cat food and being confronted with halloween, thanksgiving and christmas all at the same time (on shelves next to each other on both sides of the aisle!) was disconcerting.  and it's only september!  if i walk into a store and hear christmas music, i will exit immediately!!!!!!!

get ready.....

for whimsical wednesday, let's display our favorite emoticons.  post them on the blog.  send them in tweets and emails to others.  have fun with them.  do they match your mood?

photo friday

HAPPY GOOD NEIGHBOR DAY!!!!!  my gift of homemade jam was shared with my nearest neighbors.

thoughtful thursday

slow, gentle rain makes for a lovely day.  the grayness of the sky casts quiet, low light in the house.  perfect for candle burning.  in addition to the aroma of the candle filling the air, the flickering glow of the flame becomes a dancing focal point. along with the candle, classical music playing softly in the background completes a warm, cozy atmosphere.  a cup of hot tea, a good book; both savored while snuggled under a blanket.  a day of slow, gentle rain is something to look forward to and eagerly enjoy when present.  

whimsical wednesday!

friday is good neighbor day.  our whimsical wednesday activity centered on creating something to share with a neighbor or neighbors.  (and we defined neighbor very broadly in order to accommodate everyone participating.)

when the grandchildren were here we made freezer jam, strawberry and peach.  one batch of peach jam was put into baby food jars with the intention of giving these as gifts.  peach jam will be given on friday to the neighbors for good neighbor day.

enhancing the jars of jam was my whimsical wednesday activity.  labels, PEACH JAM, were made to put on the top of the jars.  the jars were put into small sandwich bags and tied with a ribbon.  attached to the ribbon were gift tags, HAPPY GOOD NEIGHBOR DAY!  the papers, pens and ribbons were all colorful thus creating very festive gifts for the neighbors.

i'm looking forward to passing these out on friday.  tell me about your whimsical wednesday preparations for good neighbor day.

miscellaneous

travel last week had me on the road for several hours.  absolutely there was license plate hunting!  one drawback i have discovered with this game;  it's not as easy to read those small letters as it used to be.  no doubt i have missed a few needed plates just because i couldn't read them.  despite this impediment, another plate was sighted:  virginia.  amazingly, i saw two plates from the state of virginia within an hour's time.

driving along the interstates of america brings sights that provoke surprise, disbelief and laughter.  while driving the last 50 miles of interstate before my exit, i found myself behind a large pick up truck pulling a horse trailer. i had to study this vehicle for awhile to register what i was actually looking at.  along the road side of the trailer, three horse heads were poking out of the windows!  their manes were blowing in the wind, their heads lifted slightly.  horses on a journey of their own!  as i passed them, a single word came to mind; sublime!

get ready.....

friday, september 23rd is good neighbor day.  this whimsical wednesday, create something to share with a neighbor or neighbors.  (the term can be applied literally or figuratively, as neighbors are where we find them!)

photo friday

this sweet little doggie belongs to the grandchildren.  she rooted around in these blankets until she was completely buried then popped out again, quite comfortably arranged for a snooze.

thoughtful thursday

i've just returned home from a week away.  while it was very pleasant to be where i was and who i was with, it is so good to be home.  because there's no place like home!  more another day......

whimsical wednesday!

to observe national classical month, our whimsical wednesday activity was to listen to classical music!   currently i am visiting mom and dad.  their cable tv programming includes music channels.  last night before going to bed i set the tv on the classical music station.  i woke very early, it was still dark, and turned on the music.  drowsey, i listened to whatever was offered until i fell back to sleep.  upon awakening a bit later the sounds of a lovely piece greeted me. because i wasn't paying attention to the tv screen, i have no idea what specific pieces or composers i was listening to.  what a wonderful way to begin the day!  because it's a lovely way to begin the day (and it will still be whimsical wednesday when i go to bed) i do believe i shall end the day the way it began....listening to classical music!  hoped you enjoyed as well.

get ready.....

september is national classical music month.  for whimsical wednesday, take time to enjoy listening to something classical.  perhaps you have a favorite or would like to explore and hear something new!

photo friday

flowers are very whimsical to me.  flowers painted by a child brings an overabundance of whimsey!  this painting was created by my grandson, jacob.  he was privileged to have the painting featured in the center's catalogue where he and megan take classes.

thoughtful thursday

will smith stars in a movie entitled "seven pounds" in which he plays a character who is trying to atone for a huge mistake.  while speaking with one of the characters he said, "i haven't treated myself very well in the last few years".  to which she replied, "start now".  if you haven't treated yourself very well, start now.  if you know someone who hasn't treated themselves very well, urge them to start now. when we treat ourselves well, it becomes more possible for us to treat others well. start now.

whimsical wednesday!

the day began with enjoying pages in the grandchildren's activity books.  most of the dot-to-dots were already completed but a few appeared for me to enjoy.  bonus! i was able to do my favorite feature in the activity books.  there were mazes, decoding, circling the missing components of an object, which item is different from the others.  and my other favorite feature: color by number!  besides spending a pleasant hour playing with the activity books, i enjoyed looking at the pages already completed by the grandchildren.  because these books have been on the shelf for several years, it was great to look at how their drawings, coloring, letters and numbers changed as they aged.  the best pages were the side by side ones that we had done together.  when i was a child, my sister and i did pages side by side. and my children and i did pages side by side.  of course these would be my favorites in the grandchildren's activity books.  what a great way to begin the day.  now i'm ready for the appointments and errands....

miscellaneous

there's nothing of note to offer today so i'll just say hello to everyone!

hi!!!!!!

get ready.....

let's play this whimsical wednesday.  purchase an inexpensive kids' activity book, if you don't have one already at home, and enjoy what it has to offer (i love dot-to-dot!).

photo friday

surprises in nature are awesome!  there is a wee tree growing in the fork of this old maple.  a tiny home for all manner of creatures.

thoughtful thursday

even though it's the first day of september, summer continues to assert its presence as it's 101 degrees today. however, a touch of fall can be felt in the air; especially in the cool of the very early morning and late evening.  as soon as that first tinge of fall is noticed, i begin to watch for more signs that summer will leave and the earth will prepare for the long winter's nap.  it won't be long until the leaves become bright with color and fall to the ground (when i was a child, i thought autumn was called fall because the leaves fell off the trees!).  the squirrels and birds, most notably the woodpeckers, will begin to store the hickory nuts and acorns that seem to be available just for that purpose.  soon the hummingbirds will leave for their winter home and they will be missed until they return next spring.  even though the gold finches will remain (i recently learned) their feathers will lose the bright yellow that sets them apart.  but i now know the finch feeders need to remain in place and kept filled during the winter.  and suet cakes.  i actually make these for the birds and enjoy sharing something homemade with them.  the farmer across the road will cut the hay field at least once more before allowing the cows to graze there through the winter.  and the woolly worms.  i love the woolly worms that are everywhere in the fall.  they make me giggle.  as summer wanes, there's so much to look forward to as fall arrives.