A Mississippi River Tree
Because I like to take pictures of trees. With the moon, if you look in the branches. We went to the Memphis Zoo while we there, so I have lots of pictures there too. I highly recommend it if you get the chance. It was amazing and full of good, healthy looking animals. And I so want to keep this up every day! I am going to try to be better, she says, yet again. But I promised four and delivered four. I have that at least. January 3. Still raining. 34 degrees. Thank you for spending some of your day with me.
The Kids Wanted To Touch The Mississippi River
So I let them. I let them climb down a rocky, steep embankment, to lean over and touch the freezing cold, fast moving, dangerously currented big river. I was nervous they would slip and fall in and be lost forever. They swim good, but this is a big, fast, scary river even when it looks slow from the side. I know because I also climbed down there like a dum dum to touch that cold ass water, and I don’t swim as good as them so I probably really would have drowned if I fell in. Tourists. But I was fine. And they were fine. And there’s the picture.
Happy New Year In Four Fast Photos
This was Christmas and New Year’s. It’s January 3. These lights are gone, put away already. It was the only holiday stuff we had up due to some house painting and carpet replacing we did this winter break. No Christmas tree, stockings, decorations, etc, versus that fresh new house feeling? So worth it. And the house really does feel sort of new considering most of our stuff is still outside in the garage. I’m trying to de-clutter, so if it stays out there long enough we don’t need it right? Luckily I have been working every day so I missed most of the mess and most of the manual labor. This “re-filling” of the house could take awhile. And, no snow. Thank you Midwest weather. Seriously. Thank you. True to Chicago fashion, our “Winter Storm Alert!” is 33 degrees of rain. Not a problem as I see it. It can just keep on raining. Anyway, that’s it. I’m still here. We’re all still here. And I’m going to post 3 more pictures going backward now to catch up from October. Then we’ll be back on track. Even got some new bird pics to share. Yes fair readers, it’s true. Crows. Three big crows. From I don’t know where. They came, they walked around the yard, they flew away. 2015, here we go.
Before The Fireworks
Sitting in the middle of Illinois waiting for night. Ate too much smoked meat, drank too much whiskey and beer, and sucked down too many very strong, very strong, jello shots. And that’s not really even true. I paced myself for the long evening, but still felt sick over night. I even managed to drink 2 bottles of water during this Fourth Fest mess. The food combo and combo alcohol is probably what turned my stomach. I should have eaten less grease and stuck to one beverage. No actual vomiting occurred, in case you should be thinking that I am some lightweight who can’t hold her liquor. I can drink the alcohol. I just shouldn’t. Anyway, we saw “home” fireworks until about midnight. This town we were in basically has the residents blowing off commercial grade fireworks for a lot of hours. We also saw a lot of those paper lantern things. No really good pictures because the displays were too unpredictable and I only had my phone. I was a mere spectator for this show. But I will put up my one blurry, bursting picture (if you squint and stand back, way back, from the screen you can kinda see the firework thing) and move on to the usual daily routine. Which includes work for me. The BF is off and the kids are still in Kentucky, and none of those little bitches at my job would work for me today. Wah wah wah. No one ever wants to give up their Friday. I’m hoping for a quick night and no admits. I really, really, really, need to win the lottery. Oh well. Until then.
Red, White, And Blue In America
What’s more American than a small town parade, a painted horse, a cowboy, and children waving the flag? Nothing, that’s what. Happy Fourth Of July!
Searchin’ For You…In The Cold Kentucky Rain…
It’s not raining and it’s not cold in Kentucky today. But every time the kids show me a picture of their grandma’s dock and water, I think of that Elvis song. This is the first picture my son, read it again, my son, sent me from his new phone. He was the only one in our very crazy, extended, mixed-up marriage family, that did not have a smart phone. He is on his dad’s contract and had to wait for his upgrade, and it’s finally here. Good fortune too that he got it in Kentucky. Lots of good stuff to take pictures of. Like the above for instance. Sometimes you need a little boost from technology to enhance the natural talent. My kids definitely have something. Anyway, in case you were wondering he also has the Galaxy S4. He deserves to have something really great once in a while. Hopefully there will be more pics I can share. I saw my daughter posted some more underwater pictures. I am hoping to get those too and then I will get back to posting all the stuff I said I was going to post. The pics are all ready. I’ve been working on the ideas and set up for a week now, but I chose to be social and go out and hang with the BF this weekend. Now it’s Monday. And I have to work every day. But I seem to accomplish more in my tight schedule, so, expect greatness. No, wait. Let’s not over sell this. Expect…”good”ness. And some interesting visuals. Time is almost up. Thank you, my son, for the beautiful picture! Daughter, send me those swimming shots! Everyone else, have a fab day in the temperate weather. This holiday week is supposed to be nice. Get out in it, but be safe. Later.
Happy Mother’s Day! Feliz dia de las Madres!
Guess who the “Mother” is in this picture?? Trick question!! We’re ALL mother’s! Even the man…sort of. His wifey is preggers and should be having that baby soon. Technically not a mother but still a parent. I think I already went over this in an earlier post.
So here is another family pic. I am really expanding here, including self portraits now and everything. But of course I have to work. They need to make Mother’s Day an unofficial holiday for nurses because I have worked two years in a row and that doesn’t seem fair. We should have to switch off like other holidays. Next year I guess I better be smarter and plan ahead and take it off like probably every one else does. Live and learn.
Anyway, this is my official Mother’s Day shout out to all the Mother’s in my life! I included the Spanish version too because that’s how my son greeted me today. He’s actually nearing an “A” in Spanish, and he’s very happy and proud, and he’s really trying to use his new language to remember. Everyone do something fun today! The weather even seems nice. A bit chilly but sunny and perfect for outdoor things like walking back and forth between a house and a car or a car and a restaurant!
I am about to go call my mama and take a shower. Maybe we can do a breakfast in the morning, on Monday. Rita…maybe?? That way we avoid all the Mother’s Day rush and crowding! I know it’s last minute as usual, but why plan ahead anymore? Anyone in?? You can comment here if you like, but we should prob do a text thing or phone calls. Unfortunately I have to go now. Have a fab day to one and all! XO Later
Happy March 32nd!
Just kidding. There is no snow. What a jokester I am. I actually took current, up-to-date, real-time pictures of the backyard and that table, to show you what the outside really looks like right at this moment. 5 pm Central time. Midwest America. It’s not warm today. (We only get the stuttering sixties at this point in the year.) It’s back in the 40’s again and it feels cold. But it’s sunny. Warning! The pictures below are uncut and unedited (for time) and are not very pretty. The yard is a sticks and stumps mess like a graveyard for bark parts or the lost world of tree limbs and branches. And all that sunshine blazing down is just lighting up the debris like a Christmas tree. Look here! Crap attack! You will NEVER be free of the Park Forest Tree! That may be a little dramatic, but you really have to live here to know why that is so scary. And true. Read back a bit on this site or just click over on the right there to “Tree Trouble” and you can see what I am talking about. I dare say I may have had an above average amount of bad luck in the breaking/cracking/ falling down department of tree instant removal and upheaval. They like to fall in my backyard. And they like to fall slowly. One piece at a time. Every few months or so. We started out with 3 very large 50 year old trees with many many branches limbs sticks and leaves. Now we have 2 tall “trunks”, at best, that still give me a run for the money when the wind blows too hard. They barely have proper branches on them anymore. Maybe a few limbs, that are very high up and thin, but that still sway on a windy day like drunk gymnasts trying to land on the roof of the house if they could only get the right arc. It’s ridiculous and my own private natural ghost story. The Tale of The Malevolent Maple Tree! The Evil Box Elder! The Horror of the Hackberry! The Horror of the Hackberry is right. That’s the tree ID that is presently lounging around all over the backyard in various shapes and sizes, providing a fine winter home for all kinds of bunnies and squirrels and skunks and probably opossums and racoons. I think those last two actually live up in the tree, but I can’t be sure and I do not have time to check. I see I have gone on and on like I always do and this was supposed to be quick and fast and funny. April Fool joke and all that.
Anyway my original point was to mention that I had been looking back at some of my earlier postings (4 years in March!) and I was pretty funny if I do say so myself. Go ahead and read some vintage posts if you have some time. You will not be disappointed. I also noticed that I had written about the BF’s birthday at that time and even posted about wrapping his present in the Jewel Foods sales paper. Which is what I did again this year! I thought I was so clever. Turns out I am clever. And I have been for at least 4 years, maybe more! Ha. I took a new present pic:
It’s like a birthday/posting/cheap present wrapping flashback. Now, the BF is on his way and we are going to dinner and celebrating the big 4-0 one day early. Presents and cake when we get back. Yes. I made a cake. He doesn’t even know! It’s his fav I think, at least of the cakes that I make. It’s the “Better Than Sex” cake that I also mentioned many years ago. That cake was only presented in a written description posting. This year I have pictures of the process and the results. That cake weighed 10 pounds I think. I will weigh this one before we cut it and let you know. Ok. Better go.
Thank you to all my new friends and followers! I appreciate the time it takes to find or stumble on something new, give it a few minutes to sink in and then actually do the work to “like” and “follow”. I mostly “like” back and “follow” when I get here. Which as you have seen from these last 2 days is like, once every 2 months. So sad. And I like hearing my own voice and seeing my own words. I think that is also pretty obvious if you have spent even one minute of time reading just one of my posts. They get “wordy”.
Ok. Really now. Here’s the real-time pics of today. Enjoy the evening and I’ll be back. I see some long spring days ahead of me, typing deep into the dark warm nights. Later.
just shy of pretty 