A Woodsy Walk & A Hint of Fall

You may remember in my last post there was a lot of complaining about the heat and humidity going on.

Something wonderful happened on Saturday.

Namely a 30 degree plummet in the temperature 

~~~ sigh ~~~

along with the drop in temps, that nasty old humidity blew outta' here too.

~~~ HOORAY ~~~

Time to lace up the tennies and traipse through the woods.

 Even though it is too early to see any change in the fall foliage, it's fun to see what changes have taken place since we last walked through the woods (most likely last spring).

 Pretty Berries

 Pops of Goldenrod

Speaking of goldenrod...

Did you happen to see the beautiful arrangement Mary at Home is Where The Boat Is created with it?  If not, see here.  She never ceases to amaze me with her many talents.

 Pretty Purple

I'm thinking this is a wild aster??

Have you heard of that phone app called PlantSnap?

Apparently you can snap a picture of the plant and it will identify it for you.  I did download the app awhile ago, but didn't complete the next steps to fully activate it.  Guess I'd better get with it as it sounds like a handy tool for these woodsy walks.

 Wonder if it could tell me more about that interesting moss growing on this tree trunk?

 This rock with the mossy top and one fern frond growing from it made me smile.  

It sure was wonderful to be back outside enjoying nature.

Definitely a more pleasant experience when one isn't melting and swatting at bugs.

In fact it was so nice I didn't want to go back in.

So, I didn't.

Instead I headed to Lowe's and purchased one of their pre-planted mum containers.  Prior to this the heat would have done them in before the fall breezes had a chance to blow.

How is fall shaping up in your neck of the woods?

Decorating for Fall ~ inside and out

I was hoping for something like a cool breeze or a dip in the humidity to inspire a fall decorating session.  I've given up on that notion only to pretend the A/C is really the autumn breeze I'm yearning for and set to work spreading autumn cheer in the house and garden.

Glad I didn't pass up this blue pumpkin at Home Goods the other day.  It plays nicely with the picture in the mirror.

I'm yearning to see pumpkin and mum displays in the garden, but our temperatures in the 90s would be less than ideal for their well-being.  For now I settled on a fall colored hanging basket coupled with the copper topped birdfeeder.

Back inside the table is ready for fall feasting.

As the days get shorter, the candle provides that warm glow which is always so welcome through the fall and winter months.

Heading back outside...

If you're wondering why we are hopping out and then back in, it's basically to keep from melting :).

Trust me, you don't want to stay out there too long unless you favor the humid heat.  As you may have guessed, I'm not a fan.

A pot of violas for the outdoor coffee table.

Back inside (thank you Mr. Carrier for inventing A/C) I spread a few touches around the kitchen.

A little vignette across from the kitchen sink.

Despite all of my grumblings, it is Fall and that makes me :).

After all, the worst of the heat is behind us now.

:) :):)

I was amazed to read that many areas of the west coast received record snowfalls.  Four feet in parts of Montana.  Wow!  Don't think I'd be ready for that quite yet, so perhaps I shall just ride out these last warm days and quit complaining.

Is that clapping I hear?

Fun Family Times

Well, finally there is something blog worthy to report.

After waaaaay tooooo loooong, I hopped on an airplane and headed for home.

Although I've been gone for 20 years now, I think Michigan will always be home to me.

Of course a trip back home as autumn approaches calls for a visit to one of the places we miss the most.  The local cider mill.  And since calories don't count while on vacation, two donuts for me and four for Brett seemed like a wholesome lunch.  Certainly the apple cider took the healthy factor up a notch.

 ~ Gardenviews in Northville, MI ~

~ Sideways in Plymouth, MI ~

 Back in the day I loved to shop in the quaint little towns of Northville and Plymouth.

One day when we had a couple of hours to spare, we went to see how much the shopping situation had changed in the last 20 years.

I must say I was thrilled to see that two of my very favorite shops were still going strong.  I guess that speaks for itself.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to do much but look and be inspired.  That galvanized turkey tray above was HUGE and also gorgeous.

The purpose of the trip wasn't to shop.  It was for something much more exciting than that.

My brother and sister-in-law flew in from California and my sister and brother-in-law live in Michigan.  It was a three day family reunion.  It's been a very long time since we were all together.

We enjoyed getting caught up, meals together, games (finally learned how to play Mexican Train Dominoes), laughs, a walk through the local state park and a lot of reminiscing.

 All too soon it was time to head back to the airport.

Since it was necessary to eat something before boarding, we scouted the dining choices until we located another Michigan favorite.  Funny how when we lived there I rarely ate coney dogs, but as soon as they were no longer available, I began having occasional cravings.

I must admit they tasted a lot better than they look :).

Using the same logic as the cider mill meal, we felt the shared Greek salad cancelled out the hot dog factor.

Do you ever use this type of logic while vacationing?

"The love in our family flows strong and deep, leaving us memories to treasure and keep"  ~anonymous

Simple Summer Pleasures

Last week was spent creating masterpieces on the front porch with our special little visitor.  Glad mommy took a picture as our thunderstorms today washed it all away.

The art session was followed by a visit to the ice cream truck that just happened to drive by at the right moment.  It was his first time enjoying this simple summertime pleasure and I was so happy to be a part of it.  

 Looking for an outdoor activity that would beat the heat, I introduced him to water balloons.  I suggested we start by tossing it back and forth.  He had other ideas :)

Didn't take long to learn how fun it could be to toss one or a few at grandpa.

 He had a lot of fun with the old camera grandpa gave him.

It was interesting to see what he chose to photograph.

Hummingbirds, bugs, people's rear ends and toys were all fair game.  Here his balancing tow truck took center stage.

Apparently he was working on photo composition too.

When grandma wanted to take a picture of him in his new outfit, she had to wait until the teddy bear was positioned just so.

One day we went school shopping.

After looking over the various backpack choices, he settled on Minecraft.

All too soon the week was over.

This week the backpack was put to use as he ventured off to his first day of first grade.

I know it won't be much longer until sidewalk chalk and water balloons won't be too exciting for him.  All the more reason to cherish these simple summer pleasures with him while I can.

Six Minutes

In the span of about six minutes I took a morning walk through the garden.

Marveling at what lay before my eyes, I couldn't help but wonder...

have the blades of grass always been this sharp?

The river rock so subtly shaded?

And those coneflowers...

Just how long have they been such a bright vibrant shade of purplish pink?

Closing my right eye while looking at the butterfly I can appreciate it's beauty and it's gracefulness as it floats from flower to flower.

I take note of it's pretty colors while straining and squinting as I try to bring them into focus.  Very much like when I try to read a book or work on the computer.  For far too long no amount of squinting and no pair of glasses could bring things into focus.

On this morning's walk  I played my favorite new game.

Right Eye - Left Eye

After seeing what I described above through my left eye, I closed it and viewed the butterfly through my right eye.

I wasn't sure if I should start singing I  Can See Clearly Now... or

Everything is Beautiful.

The bright colors and the sharp, crisp, clear details are simply amazing to me.

Through my left eye things have a blurry yellow filter.

Through the right things are bright and white and clear as a bell.

If you haven't guessed by now, I had cataract surgery this week.

There I am sans make-up post surgery.

Pirate for a day :).

Thirteen years ago I was told I had cataracts.

I went for a second opinion as I thought I was too young for that.

Nope, apparently not.

Through the years they have gotten progressively worse.

As the doctor said, "you have some pretty significant cataracts there".  Oh joy!

When we began discussing what to do about it, he told me it is a six minute surgery.  

Having now been through the first surgery I can see that he was right.  A quick and painless solution to a problem that was affecting daily life in a big way.  Even though I knew I was struggling to bring things into focus, I am amazed by how much I've been missing.

The left eye will be done in two weeks.  I'm kind of glad they weren't both done at the same time.  It gives me more time to play Right Eye - Left Eye which in turn gives me more time to appreciate my renewed sense of sight.  Something I hope to never take for granted.

Six minutes seems so little in the scope of a day, yet this experience has me rethinking the accomplishments that can me made in such a short timespan.

Sending Out an S.O.S. to My Fellow Bloggers

Hello there.

I'm popping in with a plea to my fellow bloggers.

There is one aspect of blogging that I struggle with, yet many of you seem to have mastered with ease.

Headers!!

There was a time when I would assemble a collage into a header on PicMonkey and then make that my header.

There was a time when I could figure out where to find the size of the header and even alter it.

Now when I go to PicMonkey I am told I need to do a free trial to be able to save my creations.  Used to be I could just log in, make my collage and then save it.  I just used the basic (free) plan at that time.  For those of you who use it, is there no such thing as free use anymore?

After spending some time on it today, I got fed up and decided to just edit my header by putting a simple picture up there with a very basic title.  You can see the GIGANTIC result above.

Thinking I would go in and change the header dimensions, it seems the only ways I have found to do it require playing with HTML.  

As you might have guessed I am not the person to be doing that!

If anybody can tell me an easy way without involving HTML to shrink it, I would be very grateful.

Perhaps someone can point me in the right direction.

Until then, don't be frightened by my gargantuan pond :/.

Around the House on a Summer's Day

~ in the garden ~

The black-eyed-Susans that I brought from our last house are now blooming.  It's nice to have a little reminder of my old garden here in my new one. 

Just above them hangs the hummingbird feeder.  Prior to hanging it 

we wondered if there were any hummers around as we hadn't seen any.  Only took a few days until they showed up and they are constant visitors ever since.

We enjoy sitting on the patio in the evening watching them stop by to dine.  

~ out the office window ~

When it's too hot to be outside I can still enjoy birdwatching.

My son gave me this window feeder for my birthday in April.

It took awhile for them to find it, but now the finches are my daily companions while I am working at the computer.

I love being able to spy on them from this close vantage point.

~ in the kitchen ~

Sometimes I am amazed at how I procrastinate about the simplest things.

Making hummus from scratch seems to be one of those things.

I have had the chickpeas and tahini on hand for months and months thinking I would make it.  It's not like it's difficult or anything :/.

Geez!

Getting bored with lunches around here lately, I tossed the ingredients in the food processor, cut up a few veggies and called it a meal.  A light, healthy lunch.  Perfect for summertime.

~ on the nightstand ~

I think memoirs are one of my favorite genres to read.

Providing the person or subject matter interests me, they are the type of book I find hard to put down.

When I started seeing this one mentioned around blogland and Instagram I went out and bought it.

I'm one third of the way through and can hardly wait til bedtime to read a few more chapters.

Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom.  Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head for the hills" bag.

Just a little hint if you might be interested.

🐦🍃🌞

Are you reading anything noteworthy

or

having any interesting lunches?