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Patience
Isn’t this what a vacation is for ?
Ahhhhhh. To relax and to be blessed with spending time with good friends, eating things that are not part of the usual menu, and uninterrupted sleep………….but back to the friends part. It was our great pleasure spend a few days with Carol – our wonderful friend from BC. Through the magic of blogs and email, we have met several very good friends -and Carol, you are even better in person!! While I had thought we could get some work done, I managed to get sick and the spirit went away….leaving me as a slug. Carol and I will meet again in October – for the writers conference in Surrey, BC.
As our vacation here in Port Orchard coincided with Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Days, we shopped and did some fun stuff. We saw Debbie one day, she is such a cute tiny gal !
Bay Street flowers
The main street by the sound, Bay Street – has new flowers planted and the shops are sporting new coats of paint . It looks fabulous !!!
Us girls ! L - r Carol, Pam and Susan
We happily made arrangements to meet with the lovely Susan Wiggs -previously my email pal. It was SO great to meet face to face finally !!! We all chatted and laughed and too soon saw her off and we headed back to our darling rented house on the water. Then it was time to say goodbye to Carol, who was off to meet up with her family across the Sound. Hope you enjoyed your time away Carol ! We sure have !
On board
We are having a lovely time here in Port Orchard. The second day we were here, two tall ships -Hawaiian Chieftan and Lady Washington sailed in. They were open for walk on tours, so mom and I went and carefully went aboard. The Hawiian Chieftan is not an old ship, built in 1998 or so – a craft built with new technology used, and vintage looks. The Lady Washington was under construction in 1988,when my parents visited Grays Harbor – and saw the shipbuilder lay the keel for her. Very exciting to see !
Lady Washington on left, Hawaiian Chieftan on right
Of course the crews were dressed in clothing like out of the “Pirates” movies. In fact, the Lady Washington was used in the first movie as the ship the “Interceptor”. The photo above I took from our backyard here in our rented house. Having such a great time, trying to adapt to my lovely tiny laptop, so enjoy the photos, it is easy to upload photos, but tough to type !
Rained last night, now overcast and cool Very nice….enjoy your day !
Before sunrise Thursday
Puget Sound Port Orchard, Washington
My white peacock
Had to put this photo up – I miss my big birds still. I just saw an ad on Craig’s List for a trio of peacocks, and I got nostalgic I suppose…….lovely birds they are. Anyway, back to the subject at hand.
How do we decide that where we live is “home”? A hundred years ago, it was not uncommon for folks to be born and die in the same town. Now, in the age of easy transportation, that term “home” could be anywhere. It is interesting to me, that since we have made two major moves – the number of people who say they hate the area we just moved to……….but they don’t move away! Why ? If you truly cannot abide a location, be it the weather, the distance from family, lack of job opportunities, why stay ? It is a mystery to me. Our moves have been weather inspired. Place where I was born and raised ? 30 years worth ? Too hot. Next place ? Too hot. Ah ha…….tried for “some snow, not as hot in the summer”. Which in actuality is “some snow, once 4 1/2 feet on the ground for seven weeks” and “the hottest summer on record” the first year we were here. Too dry, so on we go to the beautiful Pacific Northwest – eventually.
Blogging at night, still too warm………cooled off to about 85 now. Supposed to be “cooler” tomorrow. Right. Like 95 degrees. Oh well.
Have a nice evening everyone !
I can feel it. The summer is finally ebbing and the trees and my animals are telling me that fall approaches. There are trees down the way that have splashes of yellow. My horses have been wearing what looks to be respectable winter coats for weeks now. The local folk who make part of their living selling firewood are in full swing, lots of ads for wood for sale. The air at night here is crisp, not quite fall like, and not quite not.
Our vacation is nearing, and I am excited. The ranch is about set for others to feed the horses, tend the chickens and rescue cats. The list of things to do is longer than my arm, so I am going to cut this short for now – just thought leaves are better to look at than a crypt 🙂
Enjoy your day !
Yes indeed. You too could bid on this interesting item. Last address ? How about the crypt above Marilyn Monroe in the Westwood Cemetary in West Los Angeles ! Hey, bidding started at $500,000. It has 5 days to go, and top bid is now $4,505,101.00 This is the listing currently on eBay
Hugh Hefner bought his spot next to her years ago. Interesting in a sort of before coffee way………
Off to make breakfast and get moving. No time for much until we are ready to leave for our vacation – but thought this was too good not to share !
Another amazing sunset
We go about our lives, so very ant like. Need food, scurry to the grocery store. Clothing ? WalMart. Oh, well, I know there are other stores in the world, just not in our part of the world – unless one drives 75 + miles. In preparing for our vacation, stress is ever present. When one has animals, the stress is intensified. While I think I have it all covered, my mind, that helpful thing, will bring up things that I know are fine. Why ? Just in case ? Gak.
Today off to town we go again. I have to go on Friday also, so maybe we can keep it to today, then Friday. Who knows ? My truck (knock on wood) is behaving fine so far. There really isn’t anything else that can be wrong with it to cause the things it was doing. So, crossing my fingers that it truly is fine, and we can just merrily go zipping around as usual.
I enjoy each day I have – since the neck issue is ever present, it is actually a constant reminder of not taking life and movement for granted. It takes a lot to get me angry now, whereas when I was younger, that was at times a too present emotion. Calmness serves me well. I am sure it is better for my body and my blood pressure !
Hug your family near, enjoy your sunrises and sunsets.
Woke up just before six am. Wandered out to the dining room and heard a very sad “meow meow meow !!!” I double check that it is not my baby Jupiter, and realize it is coming from outside. I see nothing in the yard. I get the boots on, and go out, calling. I finally figure out that this kitten (a different one but likely a sibling to the one from the night before) is up the tree in the front yard. I could eyeball the distance from the ground, and it is about 6 feet above the top rung of my big extension ladder. Not that I was thrilled with the prospect of going up the ladder after a likely wild kitten……..but I got the ladder anyways. Yup, way too short. Yup, kitten went out on limb away from center of tree. Oh brother. I went back inside and heard it from time to time. Once outside doing chores, I could hear it from my mom’s side of the ranch. Yikes. After helping mom with some things, I head home, and didn’t hear the kitten……upon arriving back home, the kitten has managed to get down and disappeared. Whew. Now if only I knew it would be safe somewhere. Perhaps should have taken a photo, but didn’t think of it – again. Oh well.
I think at times we have a sign that only animals see – help needed ? Apply within ! Yesterday, as I was topping off a water basin for my disabled goat Twinkle, I walk up, and there is a sparrow floating in the water. They die like this, they look like they are using a flotation device of some sort, lower part of bird in water, upper part still dry, but dead all the same. I say something uncomplimentary, and realize the bird is alive and LOOKING at me ! Sparkling eyes – sparrows are just delightful birds. This one was wet and cold, but I snatched her up and dried her off somewhat. I took her out to my truck, which had hay in it, but I had just left the alfalfa leaves and litter in the bed – and the tailgate was still down, the canopy lid lifted. Quite warm and toasty. I brought a cage out with me, and made a nice toasty bed for the sparrow, and slipped the cage over it to protect it from any cats. I checked her half an hour later and she was asleep. When the sun was just over the mountains, I checked her again, and she was up, dry, hopping and cheeping cheerily ! I lifted the cage and she flew off happily. Didn’t take a picture of her either…….I have to work on that skill. I was thrilled to have saved her. My best pet ever was my first house sparrow Myrtle, who I had for many years. She was imprinted on me and I kept her as part of the family. Since then, I have raised and released many wild birds successfully, but Myrtle was the best.
Busy day, stay cool and enjoy your family !
What an odd night. First comes the lovely skunk odor………then after an hour or so, my dogs go NUTS. Skunk on the property, came in via the creekbed. I go out and make noise and thankfully it continued down the creekbed and out………so I go back to bed.
Sleeping.
YOWWW !!!!!!! YAO !!! YEAAAAKKKKMMOOOWWW !!!!!!!
OK ! I am awake now ! Cat fight. Up like a shot, out the backdoor, calling Kona, hoping that it is not she that is involved in this altercation. I hear something going to the front gate, so off I go, thinking it is the neighbors orange and white tom cat. OMG, it is a kitten, about the same size as my orphaned kitten (who finally got his own name, he is Jupiter)……..well, I have no idea if this kitten is wild, but I can tell you this, he/she stopped in it’s tracks. I had lined the inside of the picket fence with a plastic 1 x 1 wire type stuff……to keep the chickens in the yard. This poor kitten had hit it going mach 4, and it’s head went through one 1 x 1 square. I turned and sprinted to the house, for my scissors. Poor kitten ! It was losing consciousness and was starting to slump backwards when I got there with the scissors. I carefully let it know I was there, and clipped the plastic going behind it’s neck. Clip ! Kitten falls back on it’s butt………and wandered off and sat for a minute. Then scampered off under the lilac trees. After I let it loose, it occurred to me I should have caught it. It has no future loose here next to the road. I will have to try and catch it. I didn’t let the chicky ladies loose this am, but I have seen no sign of it, and it likely is asleep under the house now. Poor thing.
Enjoy your Sunday all ! I am off to move some chain link panels and fix the coop for the ladies 🙂 winter will come and it needs new plastic and replace a few fiberglass panels. Just think of it as fixing the doghouse for your dog, or washing the cover from the cat’s bed 🙂 They are all pets, or family and must be kept comfortable !
A flower ? or a weed ? Depends on your outlook
I see quotes every day it seems that are really something that hits home. I really like this one……….
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give” ~Winston Churchill.“
Anyone have favorite quotes ? Please post them in the comments section.
Cooler weather for a few days it seems. Much appreciated by me – too much to do to be having to change clothing three or four times a day due to dirt or sweat !!!! Much happier animals when it isn’t scorching too. A lot of California is ablaze again………prayers for those in the path of these monsters and the brave souls who fight them. Mother Nature on the warpath is something too much to think about – just before I went to sleep last night, I made the mistake of watching part of a program about a half mile wide tornado that went through a town in Iowa. No thank you ! I grew up with earthquakes, and that is it for me. The ground can shake all it wants, just don’t blow away like that !
Well, off to do a lot of different things, the air show is today, but my son is having difficulties sleeping, so we aren’t going. I heard the P51 Mustang go over on it’s way there earlier 🙂 The Stearman biplane will be there giving rides, it costs a LOT and mom gifted us with a ride 7 years ago. Best thing I have ever done ! LOVE flying !
Enjoy your day !
Under the Lilac Trees 