When Was The Last Time I Posted Flower Pics?
Today! These were taken with the phone camera. Over the summer. Still cleaning out the picture folders. Aren’t you lucky?
That’s pretty good for a phone camera, as I continue to brag about the Galaxy S4. You can see the little cobwebs on the flower. It’s ridiculous!
I think that’s all for today. The oven timer that marks the movement of my life and death is beeping away, reminding me that I need to go. One more shift to get through and then I am off for the weekend. Shew. These long weeks kill me. FYI, you can always click on the image when you are viewing it to make it larger. It will open nice and big and you can see all that beautiful detail that I keep bragging about. It’s especially nice with those Hawk pictures below. You can really see into that birds soul. Not really. But try it. More birds to come. Later!
And Just Like That, Summer Is Over
And my vacation. And the BF’s vacation. And actually summer was over on Wednesday of last week. But I really was on vacation, and I did not post one darn thing to this site! I used Facebook to track a few things we did, but I tried to stay away from the technology if I could. Quick re-cap: The kids are both settled into high school so far, schedules, practice, even homework already. The BF took his motorcycle trip to “The Tail of The Dragon” (and got rained on every single day), and he’s home again. I had a stay-cation and accomplished about half of a list of things to do. And now I have work in a few hours. The BF goes back in the AM. Just a typical pre-autumn Sunday morning. The pic above is from when we fished. I’ll post the arty stuff later. Maybe. I’m not good at follow up apparently. I did manage to consolidate all my picture folders though, so I feel good about that. Everything that I want to use is in one tidy spot. And all my closets are cleaned! I know, go crazy on vacay. I told you, it’s not always an exciting life. Sometimes you have to clean closets. And it takes a week to do them. The laundry is done too. AND the socks are matched and put away. The socks. My giant, month-long, loose basket, of 4-people socks, is gone and done. My kids didn’t even have a spot for socks anymore in their dressers because they have been wearing them straight from the basket for so long. Anyway, I have to hit the shower. I am hoping for a quick and painless night on my first day back. Luckily, Monday is my normal day off, and then I can really prepare for the work jump with the next 4 days on. At least I have the weekend! Ok. Well, thanks for staying with me, or checking here to see if anything was happening, I will start daily again. As a special surprise, I found all my street money in one of the closets and that needs to be posted asap. We found a one hundred dollar bill last year! And birds. And benches. And wildlife. Birds and benches and wildlife, on my. So you can see, the thrill-ride continues. Let me also just put those extra fishing pics here for you right now. There’s not even a lot of them. And no actual fish. We didn’t catch a thing. Later.
13 Minutes On The Oven Timer That Rules My Life
And these children, who periodically shout out to me, from the other room, to go take a shower because they want me to drive them someplace before work. At any rate, this is the only picture I will ever be using of myself and the kids for a very long time. They are good looking and photogenic. I am not. I am breaking my cardinal rule of never having myself in a picture, because I actually kind of like this one. My daughter took it and BW’d it so I would appear more attractive. Also I am in the back, stretched a bit. This should give me a few more years play before I have to take another picture. This was from the Zoo Day that I still haven’t posted from. It’s coming I promise. And below, are 3 more pics, that you will also be seeing in the “About Us” section, if you ever look there, which I really don’t anymore, but have to, because I desperately need to update it. I was saving these just for that, but I was feeling like I needed something fast, and this was ready, and extremely general as a subject. Plus, my kids like seeing themselves when they open my page. The color version:
Not too bad of us. That’s the same zoo, just another angle, and in color. Here is an action shot, also the zoo:
But the really risky one is below. From the beach. The beach. This is the morning we let our snake go free. I should prob post the zoo and beach pictures next, now that I have brought it up again because it’s a good chance to clear out another folder. But that damn work bell is calling. I have off tomorrow, and I am going to try to post more, but it’s school registration day, which I think I already talked about, and I have an entire list of things that I need to do before the weekend, that I have to work. Bummer. And speaking of lists…I figured out how to post the BF’s weekend list he texted me. I’m going to give it it’s own separate posting so I can add the pictures to accompany all the fun we had. We did the entire list, plus more. I think I said that already too. It will be much more exciting for you, and you will really feel like you were doing all these things with us, if you can see the pictures with the words. It’ll be like a virtual reality, activity, participation, picture thing. Now you know you want to hang around for that. Plus it’s 100%, completely and utterly, no strings attached, FREEEEEEEEE!!! And you can jump off the fun bandwagon, if it gets to be too much, or take a potty break whenever you want, at any time, by just clicking away from this site! YOU control the adventure! Now in case you forgot, here is that beach picture of me and my kiddies. First and last. Have a great day!
Weekend Plus!
Benches first. At least one and some filler boards. Hansel and Gretel up first. With a nice back design.
We did everything, plus more!!, on the weekend itinerary. I tried to download the actual list as typed, but it wouldn’t let me. Or I couldn’t figure it out. Either way I don’t have time for it right now. I have work and I need to get showered and dressed so I am not running around like an idiot in an hour because I am so late. I will post it and picture it later in the day, and week, (’cause it’s that much), if possible. We tried to capture the fun of all the moments on camera, but its a hit or miss thing when we get busy and have actual fun. We had three camera’s trying to snap the action though, so something good is bound to have been caught on film. Both of my kiddies are home for the week. School registration is Thursday. Back in class on the 14th. Summer is nearly over and it feels like it just started. I’m still working on my old folder of posts. This is going to clear out a few more pics. This makes 7/20 for benches and there are three filler boards advertising the Farmer’s Market and other events in town. I like the parrot the best.
I took another picture of my garden plant. It is continuing to spread across the yard and up onto the logs. More vegetables have appeared. I think we are going to be hit by a squash flood very soon. None and then a ton. I need to start looking up recipes or something. Pictures are still on my phone. I need to download everything. That will have to be later too. That was kind of a teaser, and so random, but here are the last two filler boards:
Seahorses, coral, and fish.
Flamingo. I’m really not sure if these particular boards represent a greater theme or really even go together with the benches. Doesn’t seem like it. Florida maybe? The tropics? It sure isn’t Fairytale related. But who cares. They are here and they are posted and now I can go get dressed. Our weather has bypassed blistering summer and is now breezy and temperate again. Almost, almost, chilly. Definitely cold at night. So get out and enjoy while you can, if you can. Later gators.
Feed Me Seymour! Feed Me!
Now that might not seem very impressive all on its own, but it is, when you consider that it started like this:
We don’t even know where it came from. That is our “big stump” pile, this bit of nature is growing out of, from when that broken tree was removed so many months ago. I came out one day and there it was. A plant. We decided to leave it because it looked like an actual plant and not a weed. The neighbor behind us has a garden and this same plant is in it. We think zucchini, squash, pumpkin, you know, something like that. Big leaves. Yellow flowers. Super fast growth. Like, accelerated, sonic, creeping, crawling, curling over the branches, type of fast growing. We figured maybe a bird or squirrel or rabbit carried one of the seeds over to our area and poof. Now we have a garden too! Mind you, we have done nothing to this plant. Nothing. No water. No weeding. No maintenance whatsoever. My thought was, that if it really wants to survive, it will have to survive on its own. Survive and thrive. It’s definitely doing that. Every day the thing seems like it’s getting bigger and bigger. When I went out yesterday, my first thought was: Little Shop Of Horrors. Hence the title above. It’s actually kind of scary. Old time movie scary. One day I expect one of those leaves and one of those long, thick stems to be sitting outside the back door tapping on the screen, holding a dead animal. “I’m hungry, Seymour!” “I’m hungry, Lisa!” Damn nature, you scary! (Reference: Tracy Morgan–SNL) And how do you know my name?? OK. Well we have been waiting to see if anything else is gonna grow off this thing except some yellow flowers. This is a good one I took a picture of today:
And then I looked closer. I will admit, as crazy as this sounds, that I was somewhat hesitant to go sticking my hands and arms into the leaves because the plant seems so Jurassic and kind of menacing. But I did. Because I am a human being. A human who is way bigger than a plant and not in a horror movie, or completely “eccentric” or insane at this point in my life. And this is what I saw:
It looks like a squash! Actual food? Maybe? Should we eat it if it actually turns into a vegetable? Is squash a vegetable or a fruit? I don’t know. It’s pretty big I think already, but I have nothing to compare it to, except the other smaller one growing next to it.
So that was my morning. Now I have to go to work. I will keep everyone updated on this gripping tale of, “Growing Something In The Wild!” Ha. Wild. More like, “Growing Something Accidentally In A Suburban Backyard Stick Pile!” Now that, is scary! Later!
Let’s Not Over Think This Now
How about I just post the pictures in the order that I took them? I can not believe, no, scratch that, of course I can believe how much brain time I devoted to this issue of how and what order to post these benches in. Who cares? Doesn’t matter. We didn’t walk in any particular order. They are not arranged in any particular order. (I don’t think anyway). So what difference does it make how you see them? It’s all the same theme. My head hurts. And it doesn’t even have to. Oh well. The other post had the dragon bench. This is, above, Thumbelina’s Garden. Pretty sure. Below is, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. That makes 3 posted.
I will keep going as time permits today. I have laundry and one more, last graduation party to attend, for the season. I also have Zoo pictures! And I finally bit the bullet and got back on that motorcycle that has been mocking me in the garage for over a year. I rode. I did a wheel screeching, head turning, back end wiggling, burn out, when the bike stopped dead in it’s tracks after I killed it coming up to a stoplight. I stayed upright. I did not poop in my pants. Or just drop that bike where it stood and said, “Done.” I started it back up. Gave a little wave to all the people on all the corners. (A lot of people. Damn kids and adults, fund raising all over the suburbs today. Watching me re-learn this skill.) Thanked the heavens above that no one was behind me, and rode off into the sunlight. Real cool-like. I almost gave the BF a heart attack. I probably had a small one myself and will now live 2 years less, but what do they say? Live to Ride, Ride to Die? Something like that. I had my helmet on and jeans and thick shoes. I would have been fine. In fact, I feel better than fine. I almost, almost, felt comfy. And I’m not afraid this year. For whatever reason. That I will not be thinking about in any detail. At all. The throttle is way too high and it feels like it’s trying to leap forward every second I don’t have the brake on, but that’s the fun right? And I didn’t fall. This post may have gone in a whole different direction if I had been laying on the pavement trying to get the bike off my shaking, scratched up, burned up legs. Anyway, I’m going to take a picture as soon as the BF brings the bike back from his, “blow-out-the-old-gas-get-the-engine-moving-again-so-we-don’t-have-to-keep-the-choke-full-on-to-prevent-the-bike-from-dying-when-we-stop” ride. In the meantime, let’s put up one more bench. It’s like, Super Saturday! Here is, A Stroll In The Woods. I think. I’m not really sure. It’s Snow White, at any rate. And not my favorite. But here it is. That makes 4/20. Later.
Ahhh. Another Year Of Torture Is Complete.
The Benches are back. And I finally got an afternoon free, with all of us, for the annual “Kick-Scream-Drag Summer Event”. The official name, per the Tinley Park village program is “Benches On The Avenue” with the theme this year being “Fairy Tale Festival”. As usual, no one wants to go. And no one wants to take pictures. I was lucky to get this happy girl right at the beginning. The boy wouldn’t even let me get near him with the camera. And yes, I bring the actual camera for these, which just causes more complaining and whining about “why can’t I just use my phone??” and “we look like *swear word* idiots out here” and “why do we have to do this every year??” and, finally, “it’s so *swear word* hot out here!! Uugghh!!” Then I tell them to be quiet. and don’t swear because there are little kids around and don’t be such babies. Then I tell them how old they are to remind them. This year it’s 14 and 15. Then they just say it’s stupid and they are not doing this and walk ahead. Here is that annual picture:
But eventually the heat, and the mile or two of walking, gets them, and they have to return to the mother ship, weak and weary and beat down. Then they just shuffle quietly along side of me while I take my pictures and talk to the air around their heads. It’s a beautiful thing. And the temperature wasn’t even 100 degrees. So I don’t even know what they are complaining about.
Here is an actual bench:
This is, The Prince and the Dragon. There are 20 of them according to the village website. You can look there, and read more about this yearly event, by clicking here. I’m not sure how many of them I took pictures of. I think all of them, but I will have to go to the folder and count. I will put them up here as I have time to post. That was yesterday. Today was the zoo. Oh yeah. More heat. More walking. More pictures with the camera. The two things I like to make the kids do every year. Done. It’s going to be a busy picture posting week. The children are currently laying around the house in various, frequently changing locations, in the air conditioning, waiting for the BF to come home so we can go eat dinner. They’re “ttt-iii-rrr-eee-ddd”. But say that in a whiny, sing-song voice and you’ll feel the mood over here. And it was only 97 degrees this afternoon. With a breeze. Practically a cold snap. Cry babies. XO XO, my little darlings. Until next year…
Happy Birthday Sister!
It’s hard to follow a gripping snake and bunny story, but here you go. Since you don’t get your own party, ever(!), I will give you your own post. I like this picture and it will be a permanent record of your youth, which is slowly slipping away, as you painfully crawl, another year, towards 40. Hee hee. I went to the beach with the kids on Monday, and I found that orange bikini I wore to Las Vegas, with you, and our 30-year-old asses. Such a painful memory. Such a long time we had to stay in the pool waiting for those shmoes to move away from us. Such rockin’ bodies we had. Ha ha. Anyhow, I vowed this new day to wear that bikini again. And in Vegas. What’s your ETA on bikini body ready? Or are you just like, whatevs, let the flabs fly, now that you are approaching middle age? Hardy har. Morghan took a nice beach shot of me and the kids. It’s good because you can’t really see me. My favorite kind of picture. I’ll post it later though, so this can be all about you. Let’s make another memory shall we? Only this time it will be with 40-year-old asses. And our faces. Have a fab day doing whatever you are doing. I hope the air is warm, the pool is cool, the hubby is hot and the kids are somewhere else. I even have an awesome present for you this year! See you in a few days. XO.
Underwater Update
The last of the Kentucky shots. The waterproof case seems to have held up well. It got taken to the beach when the kids got back but the pictures were all out of the water. Sand, pebbles, waves, shoreline…the usual. Nothing shared at this point, but it always takes a few days for the complete phone empty and picture dump because my daughter literally takes hundreds at a time. And now that my son has his new camera, I mean phone, the kid-view pics should double. I saw some already, (pretty good stuff), but he hasn’t forwarded them. Plus, he’s not happy today because football camp started again and he has to go sweat in the hot and humid, dreary morning. The problems of high school at 15. I wish. I have to go to the eye doctor, take a shower, remove body hair, do the laundry, clean the house, go to work, pay the bills, cook dinners; Ho hum. Problems at 40. (Plus. Yes, plus. I know. I can almost hear my sister snorting on the 40 thing. I am over 40, but just barely, and I can still technically round down.) Here’s the kids. The girl is above. The boy is below. Later.
And Meanwhile, Driving Down To Kentucky…
This was about 2 pm, Saturday, driving down, what I assume to be, I57, near the town of Mattoon. The kids are on their way to grandma’s with their dad. No one confirmed location for me, but the fastest way south is 57 from here. My daughter took this picture while it was happening. It’s a really good picture. Especially from a moving vehicle. She said it was only a funnel cloud when they saw it and she got a picture of it going back up. But I like this one. Very impressive. Then it hailed and rained so hard they couldn’t see and then it cleared. She texted, word for word, “It’s done now. Clear as a bell perfect now!” She sent a picture of the blind windshield but it’s just a grey square that kind of looks like smeary, foggy rain. This is the next picture she sent:
The girl takes good pictures. I almost feel bad that while the kids are driving through weather and tornadoes, me and the BF are at the liquor store buying all kinds of alcohol for the BBQ we are going to later, and then something for the rest of the weekend. Without children. Eh. Life. I took equally stunning pictures of the new wines I just bought to try out, and then later, post and share my opinions with you, good people. Let me end this with the last two pictures she sent me, because they are also really good, and she knows that I LOVE pictures of the sky and clouds. And you probably, secretly, like them too or you wouldn’t have kept reading! It’s OK. I thank you! Thank you thank you every day! It’s a peculiar world, this blogging, internet place; big and diverse, the way I like most things, but still managing to feel close and intimate, like we are all sharing this life through our words and images, the way we are taught that we could, if we lived in an ideal world. Hmm. Not one drop to drink yet, I swear it. Anyway, the sky…I’ll take the pics (or my daughter will), and you can look and move on. No one ever has to know. But we’ll know. Here is the first, with her comment, also word for word, “Look at that fat ass cloud.”:
And the last, below, is just one of the sky. I assume it’s off to the side. It’s very pretty for some reason. Good color/contrast and lighting I think. If I don’t get back here tonight, be careful all. Weather or not, Saturday in the summer can be tricky. Stay safe. Later.
just shy of pretty 