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Sometimes one needs to look around for something besides vegetables, kids and camels to take photos of!
I know...kinda weird but I love the starkness of this pile of pipes!
No leaves, no fur, no attitude, not even very much color...just simple shapes neatly stacked.
Everything my life is not!
So are you ready?
Do you have your boots out and your slickers at hand?
I hear its gonna be a loooong wet winter.
Bleck!
DOUBLE BLECK!!!
Ever have one of those mornings?
You know...the kids hate breakfast, the make a mess of the floor, they bicker, they whine, they drive you crazy!
Something like the line "the doggies are a yellin' and the kiddies are a biten'" (name who sang that)
I needed a break...
Before I started yelling, or throwing things, I walked out my back door...and only slammed it a little.
This is what I met me in our Eastern pasture...
Thank you God...
After spending a little time outside with just my camera and myself...
I felt like I could take on the world...
Bring it on Mr. Whiny pants!
*****
Update
Jimmy Buffett sang this line in the song 'Frank and Lola' about a couple overwhelmed by their life and are trying to recapture the romance...but almost got run over by the lifeguard's jeep!
Here is a link to the lyrics for the whole song!
May I just say that when the Pacific Northwest decided to turn on the rain faucet she really doesn't mess around!
No this is not a lovely forest pond...no, it is our driveway!
Hey Noah...could you lend me those plans for your ark?
By the end of this winter we may just need one 'round here.
Yes the last of summer is being drowned and battered...
Sigh.
I am over at Not Dabbling in Normal today letting you in on my little secret for stopping a cold dead in its tracks!
It involves the 'stinking rose'...aka Garlic!
One of my very favorite garden plants and culinary delights...
Now one of my favorite medicines!
Mom's apartment over the garage is getting there! Some of her furniture was moved up last weekend while the weather was nice and we had some extra hands.
Flooring and painting are done!
Bathroom is almost complete.
The new kitchen appliances are in. The countertops still need to be tiled and the new shelving stained and put up.
BTW...I spent 4 days chipping off old Formica from those counters. May I just now say I HATE formica!
The sitting/bedroom area now has a moss green carpet.
And the ramp that will be her dog's access to the great outdoors still needs a railing and a fenced area at the bottom.
*****
And while we're looking at the apartment...mom has volunteered for the space for the wedding reception.
I can see a long row of tables draped in white, like an extra long family table...
or I envision a host of round tables draped in red...
or...
What do you see?
Any suggestions for the reception?
We are expecting around 50 people and the colors are white/red/black. The flowers are going to be deep purple/black calla lillies and dark red roses...
Isn't that just stunning? If you all have any suggestions or ideas I will be eternally grateful!
And thanks for all of you who left all your great ideas in the comments on Tuesday...I am reading and making a list of each and every idea!
I was not prepared for this...
Is a gardener ever really prepared for it?
The first hard killing frost of fall!
The tomato vines are blackened and dead.
The peppers thankfully are covered so although a little sad they are not gone.
The kale seems to love it.
The sunflowers hate it, as do the pumpkin vines and my pretty little nasturtiums!
But somehow the weeds keep going strong...
What's with that???
*****
On a completely separate note my oldest son has finally decided to marry his girlfriend of almost 6 years.
They are getting married on New Year's Eve (yes the one just a couple of months away!)
In my house.
Oh my...if you have any great, classy, inexpensive decorating ideas please let me know!
*****
I haven't broken the news to Gizmo yet...the big guy adores my oldest son.
He's gonna be mighty jealous!
Don't worry buddy, you're not losing a friend, you're just gaining another family member who will feed you apples.
What?
No!
You cannot be the ring bearer.
We all know that nothing in this world can beat a fresh, warm from the garden, dripping with juice, tomato...eaten out of hand right there in the tomato patch.
But as art objects they aren't too bad either!
Besides what could be better than something this beautiful that you can also eat?
I love tomatoes...simple as that!
And guess what? I'm not the only one around here that has a hankering for the love apple!
So what about you...what do you think is the most beautiful veggie? Maybe a dark purple eggplant or a shiny yellow pepper?
No matter how old our kids get...
No matter how big they are...
They never stop...
Giving their mama...
A heart...
Attack!
The end.
As you all know my mom is moving into the apartment above our garage. This is the place that we lived when we were building our house. It is also the place that had become the rec-room when the older boys were highschool/college age. Then it became the storage area for unwanted and unused but couldn't get rid of things...you know...a junk room.
Here is a reminder of the before...
Here is what it is beginning to look like now...
The next photo is taken from the exact same position as the above photo.
The junk is gone and the flooring is ready to put down. The new wall is up and the end wall is painted a deep red...mom and I both love red!
We have torn out the old wood stove surround and put in one that is larger and is floor level to make it easier for mom to load the stove. Besides the old one didn't go with the new warm colors we've chosen.
Mom wanted a flooring that was warm looking but at the same time was kid-proof. As opposed to real hardwood like we have in our house which scratches and dents (which is one of the things I love about it!) mom wanted to go with what she has in her current house...wood-like laminate flooring. No scratches...no dents...Pergo it is!
Still on the 'to-do' list...carpet, tiling the countertops, finish outside ramp, new kitchen shelves, appliances, paint doors, and new door hardware.
And the bathroom?
Well we've decided to go some fun colors in there too...
Eggplant and artichoke heart anyone?
Its getting close...we're hoping that in another couple of weeks we will be ready to move mom in!
So is there anyone else out there in the middle of a remodel?
If so how's it going?
Well you spoke...many, many of you in fact! The voting was brisk and the outcome is in.
The winner of the People's Choice Award goes to...
Ta-ta-da-da...Faith*BuSS. Congrats on being the favorite of our readers, I'm quite sure it had everything to do with those two adorable little ones you had the privalege of gardening with! Great job!
*****
As for me I have just spent today harvesting what is sure to be the last major harvest of the year...sniff.
Eggplant,sunflower seeds, peppers, potatoes, and loads of tomatoes!
It means I have these little beauties to snack on all day!
So stay tuned next week and you'll see just how far we've come on this disaster...
You will be amazed...I know I am!
We went to the beach this weekend...Longbeach Washington to be exact. They have a trail there called the Discovery Trail that is for bikes and pedistrians that runs right along the mighty Pacific Ocean. I will get to more of the tomorrow. For today I'm just doing a little 'reflecting' on the weekend!
Come back tomorrow for a bike trip, a little rock climing and some beach combing!
But at least I had good help along...
Another way to tell you live on a farm is when you ask your two year old to hand you the long fence insulators...and he knows exactly which ones those are.
Sweet Girl is not so much into mending fences...she much rather stand in the middle of the field and direct traffic!
"HALT...this is a goat crossing, you are a camel, you must halt!"
Baby Boy went and played with his sister for a while but ran back needing a hug...
When hubby was out checking on his hives last night he brought this little guy up for the kids to look at!
These are among God's more interesting creatures for sure!
I love to see this little beneficial insect hanging around the garden...even if it looks like an alien!
I would welcome him to my garden but in reality his kind were here way before I was...so thanks little guy for sharing your space with us!
We really do appreciate your hospitality!
So do you have praying mantis in your garden? Any other strange or interesting creatures?
