Friday, August 31, 2012

photo friday

a tree in our forest that looks like it was created by dr seuss!


Thursday, August 30, 2012

thoughtful thursday

across the road resides a herd of cattle.  lovely white ones.  during the growing season, the cows are kept out of part of the pasture because the farmer is growing hay for winter feed.  it's always evident when he's completed all the hay cutting he's going to do as the cows are allowed to graze in that portion of the pasture; allowing them closer proximity to me.  it's quite pleasantly calming to watch them.  they seem so accepting, so willing to just be as they go about their days being, well, cattle.  it's evident why these creatures are sacred in india.  perhaps we humans should be more like cows.....calm, accepting, willing.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

whimsical wednesday

it was one sock day for whimsical wednesday.  my one sock was snappy; an argyle patterned in three colors  with "fringe" (worn inside out so all the long thread ends from the weaving of the pattern were revealed).  one person pointed out to me that i was wearing only one sock.  yes, i was wearing one sock.  one amazingly snappy sock!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

miscellaneous

fall is definitely on the way.  grandchildren have been returned home and school began yesterday.  the leaves on several varieties of trees are already turning colors (in part from the drought, no doubt), it's getting darker earlier and earlier each evening, it's cooler at night.  there's much to enjoy during fall so it is something to look forward to.

while watching the hummingbirds at the feeder this morning, i noticed that there was an interaction taking place that wasn't between the hummingbirds.  a closer look revealed that a praying mantis was clinging to a stem of the vine close to where the feeder was hanging.  the mantis and hummer were being curious and checking each other out.  watching that was amazing to behold.

the house sure is quiet without the grandchildren running around enlivening the days.  what i tell them when we part?  parting is the opportunity to look forward to the next visit.  i'm looking forward to the next visit.

Monday, August 27, 2012

get ready.....

it's wear one sock day for whimsical wednesday!  if you don't usually wear socks, put one (and only one) on!  make it a snappy sock with lots of character!  

Friday, August 24, 2012

photo friday

the turkeys decided to visit while we were sitting on the porch.  

Thursday, August 23, 2012

thoughtful thursday

the grandchildren were returned to their parents and home last evening.  oh, what a reunion!  joyful happiness abounded;  the bonds of this little family run deep.  it was both heartwarming and reassuring to behold. when saying good night to megan and then jacob, tucked in their beds, they both told me how happy they were to be home again.  to both i replied, "i'm happy to be home too and i don't even live here; that's how good here feels".

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

whimsical wednesday

our road trip game for whimsical wednesday was lots of fun.  we spent several hours looking for anything that began with the letters J, M and T.  sometimes there was a bunch to find all at the same time and then there were dry spells.  we played until it was too dark to see anything but lights. megan did the best in that there seemed to be a great deal more M stuff and words to spot than either J or T.  no matter how many or few we were able to discover, we had fun with our whimsical wednesday road trip game.

jacob's best find was the word JOLLEY.  it was on a license plate.  we wondered if this was the car owner's name or if they were just jolley folks driving along.

megan's best find was the word MAGNODE. this word was imprinted on the mudflap of a very large truck.  i asked if we should name the next stray kitty at the farm magnode.  megan said, "imagine us calling here magnode magnode magnode"! by the time she finished saying the second magnode we were all laughing.  you try saying magnode three times fast and you'll know why we were laughing.

my best find was the interstate mile marker 222.  while it was numerals, i could "see" 222 in letters.  it would be two-two-two; very cool.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

miscellaneous

the grandchildren's annual summer visit comes to an end tomorrow.  no doubt there is more activity and more visiting with friends when they are here than any other time during the year.  we are expert at making the most of our time together. our final day's activity?  bake cookies and brownies to take home to mom and dad.

the weather has been great.  august is typically very very hot, even hotter than july. but, for whatever reason,  the temperature has dropped and the humidity has diminished, making the weather absolutely wonderful for porch sitting for meals, reading, crafting and card playing, hiking in the woods, fishing and boating. blobbing in the hammock too.  it's almost been too cool for swimming but that has happened as well. it has also rained a few times. with as dry as it's been even rain has been an event to enjoy!

the baby ducks are almost grown.  their down is almost completely replaced with feathers. there are still four.  the wee kittens have become quite social; running to greet us when we step out and allowing us to hold and play with them.  jacob named one scruffie and megan named the other mango. now the grandchildren's campaign has been to allow scruffie and mango to come inside!  resisting THAT with fervor! there are already enough cats in the house without adding the outdoor cats.

Monday, August 20, 2012

get ready.....

we will be traveling whimsical wednesday, therefore, our activity will be a road trip game. everyone in a vehicle will be on the lookout for anything seen that begins with the individual's first (or last) name's initial.  for example, if a person's name begins with G, then that person would look for G stuff.  keep a list of sighted items for an agreed upon amount of time during travel or play for the entire journey. how many items were found?  what was the most unusual item spotted?  have fun even if the game is played for just the commute to work or other local destination. and if being on a road won't be taking place on wednesday, improvise!  

Friday, August 17, 2012

photo friday

jacob's portrait of special friends that are also visiting the farm.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

thoughtful thursday

megan, jacob and i were at the grocery store this evening when a storm erupted.  it was still raining when we exited the store.  we jumped into action, everyone opening doors and the trunk; getting all of the groceries into the car and returning the cart to the corral.  when we pulled into the garage, we jumped into action, getting all of the groceries (and other items from the day's outing) into the house and put away in the appropriate places.  we worked together, helping one another accomplish a task.  supporting one another helps forge bonds and makes everyone involved feel great.  try it!  you'll like it!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

whimsical wednesday

jacob's idea of creating maps was the whimsical wednesday activity today!  a friend joined us for the evening so she participated as well.  supper was enjoyed on the porch and after the dishes were cleared we all got to the task at hand.  it was very quiet as we all worked on our various maps.  once in awhile someone would ask for a different colored marker or seek an opinion on how to proceed with a portion of a map. sometimes we could be heard talking to ourselves about one detail or another!

when we were finished, we showed each other what we created.  jacob created the imaginary place, rock island.  it was very tropical with lots of water, boats and palm trees.  there was a neat rock pile, the feature that gave the place its name.  megan drew a place from a book she read.  her map was all black and red and filled with lots of details about the various characteristics of the place.  our visitor and i both, without intention or consultation, drew a map of the farm!  that was funny.  hers was much better than mine because it had a lot of detail i didn't bother with.  it would seem that her map of the farm reflected her level of observation skills!


Monday, August 13, 2012

get ready.....

it's jacob's week to select the whimsical wednesday activity.  jacob announced that we will create maps.  your map can be an actual space or geographical location, such as your bedroom or your favorite street.  or you can create an imaginary place in map form.  make your map as simple or elaborate as you wish.  we are looking forward to this whimsical wednesday activity!  hopefully you are as well.

Friday, August 10, 2012

photo friday

megan snapped this photograph of the kitten she named mango.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

thoughtful thursday

while sitting around the table creating collages yesterday, jacob asked, "if you could be a superhero what would be your powers?"   the three of us sat quietly for awhile, pondering this question, before one of us spoke.  jacob said he would like to have super strength and the ability to fly so he could rescue people from danger or other scary situations.  i said i would like to have the power to be a peacemaker; wherever i was and whomever i was with, i had the ability to enhance the best in people: kindness, understanding, support, cooperation, etc.  megan's superpower wish seemed to be a blend of both jacob's strength and my positive influence on people.

the collage making conversation stayed with me all day.  it was affirming to listen to my grandchildren speak of having superpowers that would be beneficial to the world.  it also occurred to me that we as, mere mortals, can be superheros just by being to others (and ourselves) the best we can be.  we might not be able to fly or have super human strength but we all have the capacity to bring the best of ourselves to others.  in a small, very ordinary, human way, we can make the world a better place for everyone.  a happier, more peaceful world leaves more time for whimsey!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

whimsical wednesday

making collages, as suggested by megan, was the focus of whimsical wednesday. old magazines and calendars provided the pictures we needed to make our collages. megan and jacob cut out pictures of items or words they liked from the magazines. these were glued in random arrangements on card stock.  the theme of my collage was flower photographs featured in calendars. after cutting out the photos, it was obvious that the collection was too large for the sheets of card stock megan and jacob used for their collages.  it will take another session of collage making to find what is needed for mounting the flowers.  we discussed the possibility that our collage making activity might require more than one session.  everyone thought that was just fine because sitting around the table together making collages was lots of fun.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

miscellaneous

our first full day of what the grandchildren fondly call "camp mamala" was excellent.  there was boating and archery and tree climbing and hammock lazing and porch sitting and play time with kittens.  there was art and quilt making, reading and talking about our collage projects for whimsical wednesday.  and, of course, ice cream, popsicles and candy!  everyone should have a camp mamala each summer!

there are still four baby ducklings.  they are larger but young because they still have downy feathers. the wee kittens (as well as their mom and older sister) really enjoy when we are outside.  the kittens actually come running when we are outside. there hasn't been any "tame" stray cats since dog and her brothers.  it's delightful to have kittens to enjoy.

the extreme heat has seem to have abated; at least for the moment.  that makes being outside in the early morning and in the evenings quite pleasant.

NASA had a new probe land successfully on mars in the early hours of monday after traveling for eight months to the red planet.  we have been following the activity and looking at the images being returned to the earth from the probe, curiosity.  it's remarkably amazing!


Monday, August 6, 2012

get ready.....

the grandchildren are visiting for the next two weeks so will be enjoying whimsical wednesdays with me.  therefore, they have been offered the opportunity to select whimsical wednesday activities while they are here.  megan's suggestion will be the activity for this week.

we will create a collage! the collage could be of random images or images by theme such as enjoyed activities, objects, people (photographs perhaps).  a collage can be made into a framed work of art, cover an object,  made like puzzle pieces or however one would like to display the finished collage.  

we are already planning our collages!  how about you?

Friday, August 3, 2012

Thursday, August 2, 2012

thoughtful thursday

some days are just meant to be devoted to watching hallmark movies!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

whimsical wednesday

it's stay cool during the dog days of summer for whimsical wednesday!  for my activity, i made a new and very tasty iced tea  that is very refreshing! try my recipe:

green/citrus iced tea

to a large pitcher (i used a 3 quart, if yours is larger or smaller, adjust proportions accordingly)  add:

3 green tea bags (tags, if attached, cut off)
1/2 to 1 cup sugar, depending on sweetness desired (i used 3/4 cup of splenda)
1 lemon and 1 lime cut into quarters, squeezed, then dropped into the pitcher

while preparing the pitcher, bring fresh, cold water to a boil.
pour boiling water over ingredients in pitcher to at least half full.
cover the pitcher and let steep for about 15 minutes.
fill the rest of the pitcher with fresh, cold water.

pour over ice in tall glasses (or put in refrigerator for later).
garnish glasses with mint sprig.
enjoy!