Tantivy

Every time that I decide that this is just too much and I am going to quit blogging, one of you writes or calls or comments and you just suck me back in. (smile). So, here goes another chapter. After Jackson's surgery, (which went well and he is recovering nicely)Sarie brought him a toy. Of course Bella took it away from him every time he picked it up and they, together, removed the squeaky parts, but I see it around the house from time to time. I thought that this was a really cute pose when I found it. Such a happy, smiling little fella.  The city cut down the tree that was so badly cracked. The neighbor's house is suddenly visible and I am sure that it will be quite different on the inside, too. The tree was planted when the homeowner was a young girl and she is my age and it was a shame that it had to be cut down.  I thought that I had taken more pictures but what I had actually done was make more sketches. I am just a sketching fool these days.  This po...

That is how many times I have posted to this blog. The number of comments would come closer to 40, but who is counting. I just can't make it work.  Today I did a little demolition. Someone had added cornice boards to our bedroom windows. The problem was that they were attached at heights different enough to be obvious - especially to me. so today I took the hammer to them and knocked them down. There will have to be a little patching, but I like it better already. I think I might make Roman shades for the windows and not having to work around those uneven cornices will make it easier.   A little patching and painting and it will be great. As you can see, the trim in this room was once pink. It was also once blue and once robin's egg blue. Now it is white.  I think that Roman shades on this window will be a big help. This is all there is now and the neighbors have a yellow light which is always on during the night. If I get ambitious I could try to make...

So much to tell you. First of all, the baby robins flew last Saturday. I happened to look up and see one standing on the edge of the nest and saw no other heads. Mom and Dad came by and left. The fledgling teetered on the edge a second then decided to move a little. He inspected the new place, rather like someone daring herself to jump off the high board. After another adjustment and another teeter he took a deep breath and flew away! I saw him leave. I was so glad to be able to say goodbye instead of just noticing that they were all gone!. What a wonder it was. Today I went to Chattanooga with Vicki, Kay and our new friend Lorraine P today and went to the gallery and saw my paintings. The one on the left and the bottom one are mine. Above mine is one by my classmate Kathleen. The one on the bottom has broken eggshell (encased in acrylic) on it. See that little line along the bottom of the large egg-shaped form? There are also some on the top right. There was no way to get a glar...

This has been a week. My seven-year-old granddaughter has been here for "Chief Camp" and we have been busy. Not that I did so many wonderful things with her - we have just been busy. And Dean has made several trips to Nashville, the latest two(2) today so I had to take Jackson, who can't get the the car without help, to be x-rayed. The x-ray trip was complicated by the fact that J had to be sedated and although I got him out of the car he collapsed in a heap and I couldn't move him any farther. I had to call my brother to help me get him in the house. Living near your sibs is a good thing. Jackson had surgery on his knee this evening; the traveling vet came by the house to pick him up because I knew that I couldn't get him back in the car. Jackson will be there until he is feeling better and getting around okay. (Here's something funny - the vet had looked at this house and considered buying it about 10 years ago.) Jenny was coming tonight to take Sarie ba...

Happy Independence day to you and yours! It is hard to even imagine what our life would be like as a colony of Great Britian.  I guess by now that would have changed even if it didn't way back in the beginning. I certainly hope that this country can get back on track. The world is changing so much and we need to find the way.  DH and I  continue to be fascinated by the robins outside the window and spend many minutes several times each day with binoculars, camera and just plain eyes focused on them. We see baby heads stretched out on long necks and with open mouths when mom or dad arrive with food. In fact, they stretch up so high that I am afraid that they will fall out of the nest. The chicks now have fuzzy little beginner feathers on them so mom doesn't have to work so hard to keep them warm.  Walking in the neighborhood a few days ago I came across a robin's eggshell on the ground. I think that the bird had hatched.  I have come to the conclusion that...

Right outside my bedroom window, where I can see it from my bed, a mama Turdus migratorious (otherwise known as an American robin) has built a nest. She is still finishing it - moving the furniture around, hanging pictures, etc. so she get up every once in a while and adjusts things. Of course she might just be rolling her eggs, I can't see in the nest. Robins can have 3 or 4 hatches a year in this part of the country; no wonder I see so many in the winter. The white material is from Jackson's last clipping  - so glad that he could help.  Dean is replacing the front porch floor. The supports had been attacked by termites at some prior time and the middle and ends were lower than the remainder of the porch. He has the flooring torn out up to the front door right now. Don't guess we will have anyone coming door to door for a while.  I have been trimming shrubbery and deciding what I want taken out and where I want it placed (some will go to the trash/compost). ...

Someone always builds wonderful sand sculptures on our beach. I have never found out who it is, but they are always fun. This year the rain got to them before I did, but I think that you might be able to make out this mermaid with the curly hair  and maybe the alligator/sea monster Cool, don't you think? We take two days to go to the beach and two days back. Last year on the way back we stopped in Warner-Robins GA and went to the Air Force Museum where they had several planes that DH flew while in the Air Force and one that he flew when he was first hired by Delta where it was known as "the Freighter".  This year we stopped at Rainbow Springs State Park where there is a swimming place fed by the springs. The water temperature is 72 degrees F, year round. Let me tell you, it was chilly! After about 45 minutes in the water we were cool for the rest of the day. DH, who was not feeling particularly well, didn't swim and he was sweating while the rest of u...