Summer drawing to an end

“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” – William Shakespeare

Wow, where did this summer go?  I can't believe it is August 31st.  Don't get me wrong, I love the fall with the changing of the leaves, the cooler nights, and the fall flowers.  I look forward to September as it is my favorite month of the year.  But...it seems too soon, this summer just flew by too quickly.  I'm thankful to have taken lots of pictures so I can remember how things looked in the spring, to remind myself that I did take in the summer and did have many great moments to remember.

The harvest moon is full so I thought I'd give it one more attempt at catching a picture with the dawn setting on the camera.  I remembered that I need to hold my hand steady as the camera has to take it's time to process the picture.  I was really, really careful.  Being all happy with myself, I ran upstairs to my computer and found that the video card was still in my computer and not in the camera at all!  Nice...

So having missed that opportunity, feeling like a toad sitting in a plant, I think I'll share a picture of my first harvest instead.  I wouldn't have believed it had I not taken pictures all season to show the changes and the growth.  That goofy plant container actually produced a few tomatoes.   I hope they taste good too, they'll be gone as quickly as summer.

He (remember toad/frogs are "he") sat
steady for lots of pictures.  Sad
to say this is the best one!

More tomatoes to come - if the wind
doesn't knock them off

First harvest (one green one due to wind damage)

A birthday flight that makes history

Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway.  ~Mary Kay Ash

So today is my father-in-law's 75th birthday.  I asked him a couple of weeks ago if he would take me flying on his birthday.  He said sure.  Since he loves to fly, why would he say otherwise right?   We had lots of laughs.  I screamed a lot when he let me fly the plane and when the air was less than smooth.  He gave me lots of tips on how to land and suggested that I keep the right wing more level during flight.  As we did our final landing, I thought he was taking over the landing and he thought I was.  I guess I was after all.   Pictures of the event tell the story way better than I could capture in words.  Captions are an added bonus.  He did say, "Well, this is a first for me."  Mom watched the landing and when she saw us looking at the tail of the plane, she ventured outside to see what happened.  I don't think she was too happy with us.  Overall, I'm thankful that we arrived safe and sound.  I'm hopeful he'll have good memories for this birthday and they outweigh the time it will take to repair the plane...(I love you Dad!!!)

A beautiful sunrise (or is it "red in the morning,
sailors take warning"?)  Does that apply
to pilots too?

Am I sure I want to take her flying today?

Yes, we're committed to this flying lesson!

Systems check, all looks well from the photographer's view

Normal co-pilot looks ready

Oh...technically, there's more buttons to get ready.  

The witness watching us taxi to the runway

I'm thinking, is this Map Quest??

Runway looks clear

One more picture of us smiling before takeoff!

We're in the air - all is level

So, how long have you been flying this plane?
"Since 1969"

He looks like a real pro, so he asks do you want to try?

Where are we?  I don't know and he pulls out this map?
I thought that's what the map quest is for!

Oh, we're over Klinger's market - isn't that a cute turkey
for their corn maze?

We're heading into the sun, still smiling,
so he let's me fly for a while (can't
take any pictures for awhile)

He's back to flying, my hands were sweating too much.
The lakes are a very pretty green!

CAP practice landing strip (2 tries and it went pretty
well)

Let's try landing at home...this is the tail wheel as we
taxi by it.  Not a good landing!

The spot where the wheel is supposed
to be attached to the plane.

The tail wheel 

Oh, no, I'm taking your picture, this
was your landing failure!

The men checking if everything is level w/o the wheel

Normally, with a wheel putting the plane away is much
easier.

Good thing there were two of them.  Now, how in
the world can I make this up to him?
He says he'll take me flying again....

On the melancholy of life changes

All changes are more or less tinged with melancholy, for what we are leaving behind is a part of ourselves. – Amelia Barr

Okay, time to accept the fact that I'm entering a new stage in life.  This stage is blessed with something I heard about many times, but thought, nah, it won't be that bad.

I have moments of remembering back to my first pregnancy and all the exciting changes to my body.  Being someone who loves naps, the early tiredness was a great excuse to take lots of naps.  Everything was exciting until it got toward the end of the pregnancy and I couldn't sleep.  People would tell me, "it's just nature's way of preparing you for the sleepless nights taking care of the baby."  Yes, that was true, and I lived through it twice.  They were very tiring times, but I don't regret a minute of those beautiful moments!

Then there was a time of "great rest."  A time when the kids were old enough to go to bed on their own, stay there all night, and they woke up at a decent time in the morning.  Guess that was the stage I was supposed to store up a lot of sleep.

Then they became teenagers with driver's licenses.  Back to the sleepless nights worrying about them and where they were.  When it was too dark outside for me to drive in, that's when they had no fear.   Even though one daughter has moved out and is on her own, I still wonder where she is and pray for her safety.  My youngest is still in the "driving in the dark stage."  I'm always thankful when Copper barks in the night, I know she has arrived home, safe and sound.  I still get up later to make sure her car is in the driveway.

Now...life has thrown me a new stage.  Hot flashes...   There's no way I would take a picture to share of that lovely experience, but they have been plaguing me for a while now.  They seem to be getting more frequent now, even some during the day.  I know it is a normal stage in life.  There's a bit of melancholy to say the least.  They (whoever "they" is) say it's normal to feel fatigue during this stage.  Heck, yeah!  That's because the darn hot flashes wake you up multiple times during the night!  Duh!!

Guess today, I'll be longing for a catnap!  Dessy does it in style!

What??  Cat's are supposed to nap!  Now, put away that camera!

A basket, a perfect place to curl up and nap!

Possibilities are encouraging

“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this:  you haven’t.” – Thomas Edison

This past week I was feeling a bit drained for "random" thoughts.  It seems that when work is stressful or as the weather is getting cooler, I'm having the overwhelming feeling of panic thinking of all the things needing to be done before the snow flies. Copper is feeling a bit bored with my lack of travels outside.  Here he is sitting patiently and yawning because he'd like to do a little more outside stuff before the snow flies too.

A big yawn - let's go outside!!

I'm still working through my "to-do" list for the camera lessons.  While the yard has an ever changing environment to capture new pictures.  The flowers are getting a bit boring.   There are a few that haven't bloomed yet.  I will be watching them closely, as I find it amazing how long some flowers take to bloom.  Nothing big to share yet!  

While I was touching up the marigolds, I found this cute little tree frog in the plant.  Ah ha, a new topic to capture in my pictures.  I'm assuming he was a "he," because frogs are just "he" to me.  He wasn't too photogenic though.  I guess the flash scared him.  He hopped into the plant as I brought the camera to him.  So the plant picture is a blur, but proof nonetheless.  He blended in with the rocks too.  He was hard to focus on.  If you look close enough, he's there.  Oh, and, yes, I still have work to do to capture a good close up photo.   See, Thomas Edison is right, when you think you've exhausted all possibilities, you haven't.  That's why photography is so much fun!  

Little frog hiding in the marigolds.

Huh, pressed the shutter before he was
focused.

Focused, but still kind of hard to see;
look close enough you can see
his little eye.

A cat's view on anticipation

“We love to expect, and when expectation is either disappointed or gratified, we want to be again expecting.” – Samuel Johnson

 Our two cats are perfect examples of living a life full of expectations.  Dessy is obsessed with my husband.  While Copper "loves" me and can't wait for his time with me, Dessy takes it to a new level with her obsession of my husband.   I think it's an obsession with him.  He's sure it is her obsession with food.  With her redundant, extra fluffy stature, I guess he could be right.  Lucky, for her, he loves cats and knows every cat has it's own personality.  You never know what you're going to get in each cat.  He faithfully feeds her to keep her from bugging him.  I'm sure he could write a long blog on her activities of obsession.  For now, I'll just share a couple of examples I captured of her moments of stalking watching birds or longing for my husband are as abundant as her fluff.  Tizzie, on the other hand, is more obsessed with the potential to get the birds outside from her view from the window, nap time or her favorite new obsession, ice cubes.  She waits patiently from the top of the cupboards to catch a glimpse of the birds or she simply takes a nap.  However, at the sound of the ice maker, she comes running.  What a life, to be so content with the longing or the joy of simple things!

Dessy, calmly watching the hummingbird

Dessy watching the bluebird in the bath

Tizzie - Ah...ice cubes and water!

Tizzie - I'll get those birds, one way or another

Took too long, time for a nap

"Obsessive stalking look" - waiting for my
husband's next move

Gladiolus

Gladiolus -  August birth flower is the gladiolus which means sincerity and symbolizes strength of character. Love at first sight is what the hidden message of this flower was during the Victorian era.

Check out my recent additions to the mixed glads in my memory garden.  I think the white one resembles the meaning above.  The first flowers to bloom were more mixed between the pure white, pure pink and pure red.  I've heard that if you plant them all together, year after year, they all become one color.   I hope that takes a long time.  I've really enjoyed watching them open up and seeing the different colors.  I can see why it was a hidden message of "love at first sight".  
 

Mystery Flower

"Just living is not enough ... 
One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."
-  Hans Christian Anderson 

When I started the memory garden I bought a bag of "mixed glads" and some other bulbs.   Many bulbs didn't come up, so to fill the spot I just planted marigolds around the area.  They have really taken over the spot and are thriving well in the garden despite those nasty bugs.  I wrote all the bulb locations and names down on a piece of paper, but now can't find the piece of paper.  I'm sure the paper is here somewhere, I just can't find it right now.  The mixed glads have been blooming and providing several different colors which makes it enjoyable and something to look forward to throughout the weeks.  This week the second set of bulbs started blooming.

This new flower is interesting, but for some reason hard to capture well in pictures.   Is it because of the white?? Anyone know what this flower is?  

On a side note, it sure appears that I have taken a break from my "to do list" for my camera lessons.  I don't think these pictures can be used for my "close-up" picture.  Tomorrow is another day, or maybe, just maybe, there will be a new colored glad blooming that I can discover after work today.  Something to live for is a good thing!

Copper's Loyalty

“Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal.  Difficult standards for people to live up to.” – Alfred A. Montapert

His little tongue sticking out

One of my favorite things in life is my little dog's loyalty to me.  I find it so intriguing how much he enjoys being with me.  Perhaps it is the potential for outside adventures during my quest for great photos of my flower gardens?  While I was gone on my mini trip with my girlfriends, my family reported to me upon my return, Copper missed me.  It was so evident when I got out of the car and they released him from the house.  He raced to me and almost turned inside out with excitement when he saw me.  He was just so happy to have me back home.  What a treasure to be loved so much.  I'm secretly thankful he's as excited as I am about going out in the yard and exploring.  It's a nice, predictable, and enjoyable part of the day for both of us.  One of these days I will get a great action shot of him, or a great pose.  Until then, here are some recent pictures of Copper.
 

Wow - he actually looked at me for the
picture.

Run, run, run - catch me if you can

He's off running, caught in air,
I'm really going to have to figure
out the sport setting on my camera