I was about to write that I'm late today with my post, but then I thought, that's not true. Yes, I am doing a personal challenge of posting everyday until sometime in October. No, I don't have a given time to post my daily blah-blah-blah. Well, there is 11:59 p.m. Yes, there is that. This morning I thought this is a contender for the Husband's and my motto: We are old. We are retired. So what if we're a little late.  Giggle. 

I've been grumpy today. I'm trying not to be. I'm also trying to reel in sadness and disgust about the thieves in the White House and the soulless in Congress. These so-called leaders of ours, their crew, and the greedy rich behind them are destroying our country, along with taunting our morals, actions, and beliefs in all that is good.  Tomorrow morning,  there will be protests in various cities throughout the United States to let the current White House administration know of our discontent with their cruel and unjust immigration policies. The Husband and I will join like-minded in our county on a street corner down town.  The IRS sent us a refund check of $51 and some cents a couple weeks ago. We didn't cash it, but a letter from the IRS was forthcoming, so an accompanying note stated. The letter came yesterday. IRS wrote that I made an error transferring an amount from a form. Yes, I was the culprit, although IRS does not know it. I do the taxes, while t

That's a photo of my First Communion veil. It's quite pristine for about 55 years. The Mama had stored it in its original plastic case. So, what is it doing outdoors? I'm tearing it apart to line planter pots. Yup, that's what I'm doing.

Throughout the morning the Northern Yellow Bats and the Southern Yellow Bats rang the bells in the campanile in the center of the Honalee Bay Aquarium & Gardens. Insects and sea creatures, birds and reptiles, and two-legged and four legged animals in their Sunday best flew, padded, trotted, and swam to the grounds to behold the moment they had been waiting for the last three months. By mid-afternoon, the moment began. The Yodeling Yellowjackets flew to their marks on the cut-out heart beside the officiant. As they began singing Yodel Love Call , the happy guests quieted and turned their attention to the eastern end of the meadow.  Slowly coming into view was Yagel the Yak, proud as all can be. Carefully and steadily, he pulled the cart on which stood the handsome and beautiful wedding couple of the moment. Some guests cheered and clapped their paws, while others hooted and stomped their feet. Winnie  and Thomas blushed. Tears streamed down their faces as they waved and

Numero Uno: My knees feel stronger, especially the right one. I'm walking a bit longer, not necessarily further, especially if the surface has some give to it. My legs likes walking in sand. A friend suggested that I create a small sandbox and march in it. I just might. The geranium room in the backyard would be the perfect place for it. Numero Due: I want to learn a new language. Maybe The Husband will get in on the idea. It would be fun talking to each other in Italian or Latin (those are my preferences right now). Not to say good mental exercise for our brain. What do you think The Husband ? Numero Tre: I shall wash the kitchen floor this afternoon.  It's on today's agenda, but that doesn't necessarily mean I will do it. By also proclaiming it here, methinks I'm reinforcing the objective. Ha-ha. There's also the fact that I'm waiting for The Husband to finish washing dishes and move the chairs to the hallway. The latter is something I put on his

"Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~ Rumi

I'm feeling mighty groovy right now. Just like the song sang by Simon & Garfunkel, once upon a time. The Husband and I had a lot of fun this weekend. Ever since Eliza, our dependable 25-year old of a metal steed, had work done on her, she has been taking us places. So much so that I know the moon is in afternoon sky right now, something I haven't noticed in a very long while. On Saturday morning, we joined a group of like-minded people  downtown to express our concerns about the actions of our federal government. There was about two dozen of us, I think. Pretty good for our town. The current President's policy to separate children from their parents at the border was an incomprehensible and  immoral act.  To fix his action, he signed an Executive Order to stop his administration from following his policy for any family who is detained at the border. But, what about all the children who are already separated? Legally, children in immigration detention centers ca

I did everything I hoped to do in yesterday's work-in-the-yard day : Hurrah! I have discovered that I can step over the weeds in the sidewalk cracks, while saying, "Not on my agenda." Ha! I can walk by a rose bush and not deadhead it because it was "Not on my agenda." Ha! The weeds alongside the side fence in the back yard were not on my agenda either, but I did put them on the Husband's. It got him outdoors on a hot, but pleasant in the shade, day. He got a break from reading maddening and heartbreaking current events. That's a good thing. All in all, the Husband didn't mind the weeding and, before we went in for lunch, he agreed to eventually clear out all the weeds along the fence, including down the driveway. Thank you much! While the Husband weeded I repotted our Christmas tree who we've named Mister Alton. The poor guy. He was tightly bound in his quart-size pot. It was very slow-going loosening the dirt from his roots. When he

  After I finish distracting myself on the computer, I'm heading back outside. Today, I've decided is a work-in-the yard day. First on the agenda is to pick up the bougainvillea branches that I pruned this morning and tossed willy-nilly on the walkway, effectively blocking passage to the front door. Next, I shall deadhead a couple of small daisy bushes. Then, I'll go find all the empty pots hidden under bushes and cart them to the backyard. That done (I figure an hour), I'll re-pot the tiny evergreen Christmas tree into a larger pot. We bought it last month. Now is the time to purchase potted Christmas trees for cheap. They may be on the dry end, but with patience and sweet coaxing, they may be smiling happily by the yuletide. So I think. I also want to prep our 1960s wheelbarrow (which belonged to the Daddy) into a planter for succulents. That will mean playing with the drill, bzzzz, bzzzz, searching for small to medium size rocks in the yard, and seeing what s

Happy Summer Solstice, Dear Readers! 

"Agathe, welcome! Thank you for coming all this way," said Xuxa the Xantus's hummingbird, meeting her heavily breathing friend at the top of the high knoll outside of the Honalee Bay Aquarium and Garden. "Xuxa, dear, you look lovely as usual." Agathe the Aardvark blew kisses as she readjusted her red hat. "Oooh, the photos do not do justice to how chic and pert your hat is." Xuxa twirled as she would on a fashion show catwalk. Blowing kisses to Agathe, she said "Merci beaucoup for my red Parisian beret. I love, love, love it." Agathe and Xuxa sat in the shade where the Xantus's hummingbird had placed water and snacks. Agathe sighed contently, taking in the changing landscape from the canyon to the distant mountains. "I do love your view, Xuxa. I must come and visit you more often." "Anytime. You have carte blanche in our meadow," said Xuxa. She pointed to the mound by Agathe. "Fresh termites, Love?&qu

Tired, I am. Happily pooped though. The Husband and I have been out and about lately, a few hours here, a few hours there of wandering about, doing errands, or hanging with friends. It's summer, after all. Today, my plan is to drag myself out to the backyard and deadhead the geraniums. It'll do me well to sit under the trees and breathe in deeply. It might be the ticket to pull the tiredness out of me. Aren't those tiger lilies pretty? We saw those on the greenhouse tour we took two Saturdays ago. I wonder if I can get them to grow in our yard.

Through a Depot Hack Darkly? Remember the phrase through a glass darkly ?  There you go. What's a depot hack? In this instance, a 1925 Ford Model depot hack. That's the handsome mechanical creature through which I took the above picture.  By the way, my objective was to take a photo of the spires of the Methodist church, which is several years older than the vehicle, through the depot hack's window. The reflection of clouds and another 100+ year old building was an added plus. Okay, back to the depot hack. The owner told us that a hack, which body resembles a wagon, was a taxicab and a hack that served passengers at train depots was known as a depot hack. When train depots became known as train stations, the depot hacks eventually went by the name of station wagons. Ohhh! Yup, the Husband's and my mouths dropped in wonder, too. I bet this particular depot hack's owner waits for that moment every time he tells the story. No doubt he has told it a lot.

When the Youngest Niece was quite young, she pronounced her y's as l's. Yellow was Lellow, for instance. It was darling. Today, I share with you the two lellow things I saw this morning. The photo above was of some owners and their antique speedsters driving to their start-up line in downtown this morning. The Husband and I actually got up in time (7:00 a.m. which is early for us) to check out various antique Ford speedsters and touring cars before they took off on their annual countryside tour.  The speedsters were doing a 200-mile loop, while the touring cars, 80 miles. Then when we got home, these sunflowers posed prettily for the camera. Click. It's time for All Seasons , a weekly meme hosted by Jesh at Artworks from Jesh St.G . Click here to check out Jesh. For the participants list, click here . Thank you, Jesh!

I read "Poison Pray-Line" when I saw this sign in a commercial greenhouse last week. That got me thinking about the Christians who support the current White House administration.

The Mama's red rose bush produces year round, as long as I deadhead the spent blooms. I couldn't resist picking this perfect specimen with the intent of drying it whole. I left it outside in this box. The next day, the petals had dried, but they had also fallen from the stem. Oh well. Potpourri, they shall be.

Last week, we took a tour of a greenhouse that included gardenias, mmmmmmmm. Their scent, mmmmmmmm. The tour guide said that gardenias are coming back into popularity. I was surprised the flower ever went out of favor.

"Ladies, only two weeks more!" Winnie the Wallaby said, waltzing dreamily around the room in her wedding dress. Edwina the Egret , her best lady, sang, "Waltzing Mathilda..." Two of Winnie's better ladies joined in the song. As they sang, Judge Jennifer the Jack Rabbit hopped and pirouetted while Undine the Uakari twirled and swayed around the soon-to-be bride. "Glorious!" Winnie said out of breath. The four creatures clapped and hooted. "Too bad the other better ladies couldn't stay." "These dresses are gorgeous," cooed Edwina looking at herself in the mirror. "I feel so pretty." "That's because you are pretty, Edwina, dear," said Undine. "The dress has nothing to do with it." Edwina kissed the cheek of her favorite uakari. "Oooh, what do you think Iago will say when he sees her?" Winnie teased. Edwina blushed. "Enough of me," she huffed, pretending to inspect her right

Back in March I thought this volunteer plant in the front yard was a celery plant. As it grew and developed, it no longer seemed to be celery. The one stalk remained solo. When the flowers bloomed, dill came to mind, but there was no dill aroma. Hmmm. The Husband thought it was hemlock. I thought hemlocks were trees. Was I curious to look it up? Of course not. Last week, friends came over and concurred with the Husband. Hemlock.  Yup, that's the stuff Socrates drank as punishment for being found guilty by 280 out of 500 peers of not believing in the government's gods and for teaching his students to question authority. Interesting. It got me wondering if people could be put on trial for doing something similar today. For a poisonous plant, hemlock certainly is pretty. I suppose I ought to pull it out soon. Update: Thanks to Colleen of Loose Leaf Notes commenting that the plant reminds her of Queen Anne's Lace, I did more research. The plant does look like it,

As some of you dear readers know, I underwent a full hysterectomy last year. For those of you who are learning for the first time, yes, I did. Snip, snip, snip, snip went the oncologist/gynecologist with the da Vinci robotic arms and pop! shusssssh! went my Fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus, and cervix, along with cancerous cells, which nobody was really sure if they truly were there. Yes, it overwhelms me when I think about it. My mind does really well about not thinking. My body is another story. Before telling you more, know that the doctor assured me that my reproductive system fits the size of my fist, maybe even smaller, and that within time my guts will drop and fill the space. So, here I am just over 13 months later continually clenching my tailbone because I'm afraid my intestines will fall out. Seriously. This got me to wonder: Has anyone given birth to her guts? Do you think I ought to ask the doctor? Giggle

That's the foot of our new acquaintance Steve, a storyteller of a guy, who we met at yesterday's two-buck senior citizen buffet hosted by the local hospital's volunteer group. Steve was wearing python-skin cowboy boots, and was kind enough to let me take a photo of them.  Both the Husband and I wondered if he called his boots Monty, but neither of us asked him. We just thought it. Ever heard a python snake? Me, either. Good old friend Google coughed up a video sound bite of a python. Its hiss brought to mind of a flushing toilet. The Husband remarked that would be an awful quiet toilet. He thought the python's hiss is more like the sound of spraying water on leaves. Maybe. My second thought was that the python's hiss almost, almost, sounds like ocean waves. Click here if you want to hear a python's hiss. What does it sound like to you? It's time for All Seasons , a weekly meme hosted by Jesh at Artworks from Jesh St.G . Click here to check

I started taking the free tai chi class at the local senior center last month. Having learned some tai chi movements back in the 1980s, I knew tai chi would be good for my health. The teacher was encouraging when I told her about my knees (no cartilage in them according to the specialist). She let me know that it was okay to not attempt more than my body can handle at any moment. In other words, do not over do and screw up your body. Just from the first class, I realized these things about me: I breathe shallowly. I need to be mindful about breathing deeply. I hold a lot of tension in my body, particularly in my hips, legs, and knees. I need to relax my body, particularly the muscles around my tailbone. When I do, the pain decreases and I can chip away at the stiffness. I'm not confident that my knees can support me so I walk with my body bent forward. The movements reinforce the concept of empty and full steps. In short, I can trust my legs. That when I put weight on one

We've been hanging around downtown a lot lately because Eliza the Car has been needing repair work.  Last week she got a tune up, this week, a new brake master cylinder. Next week, she'll have her timing belt and accompanying parts replaced. She's worth it. For being 25 years old and way over the 100K milestone, Eliza continues to be a sturdy, steady, and reliable gal. She may not be as fuel efficient as the electric and hybrid cars, but she still gets better mileage than some SUVs, minivans, and pickups. When Eliza's in the shop, we treat ourselves to breakfast, after which we walk around town, entertaining ourselves with the little things such as the business signs that we see. The Husband and I got a kick out of the above sign. Who doesn't want positive vibes?

The other morning I heard "We love rock and roll" coming from a neighbor's house. It was not annoying loud at all. After the chorus I heard the neighbor's three year old say, "I don't like that song. Turn it off, Mom!" Chuckle.

"Oh, my," said Valentina the Vietnamese Elephant, touching her trunk to her heart. Tears of joy nearly blinded her vision. She smiled at her newly adopted son. "You are in for a surprise, my little Volare." "What did you see out there, Momma?" the little boy asked, stepping towards the opening among the trees. "Whoaaaa! Who are those animals coming down the hill?" "They are all your new family, Sweetheart. They've come to welcome you home." Volare jumped up and down. He ran to his new momma and melted into her body. He loved her the moment he saw her just a few hours ago. Mmmmm. Valentina scooped up her new son and carried him into the open field to meet her friends, the ABC Creatures , led by the soon-to-be-married couple Thomas and Winnie. "Momma,  Momma," said Volare. "They're singing my name!"   V is the theme for this week of ABC Wednesday . Check out the meme here and the l