English Valley High!

My House, photo by Jon Willoughby

Did you see the Perseid meteor shower last night?  I wish I had a better vantage point than my well lit burb. The sky also had a bit of a haze which made it difficult to see anything but the brightest stars.  Still we went out around 11 to see what we could see.

Google Image

Wish I could say this is what we saw...but we didn't.  I am a city girl who has only seen the Milky Way once. Yes, sad but true.  I was in Colorado back in 1974, along the shores of the Colorado River on a river raft trip.  I was scared and homesick, but still vividly remember seeing the stars like I never had before. My sweetheart had a similar experience in Medford, Oregon on a boat drifting down a river.  Once you see that stars like that, you never forget.

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Instead this is more like what I saw last night, one beautiful streak in the sky.  One meteor and three mosquito bites.  We went inside after a while and went to bed where I watched the NASA live feed of the meteor shower from  Marshall Space Flight Center.  It was a great to see and listen to all the experts while in the comfort of my bed, but I dream of a time I'll watch from a place with really dark skies.

The English Valley High reference is of course to Rocky Mountain High...the song John Denver wrote about watching the Perseid from a sleeping bag high up in the mountains in Aspen, Colorado.  "I've seen it raining fire in the sky.  Friends around a campfire and everybody's high..." Someday...

Thanks for stopping by and for your kind comments.  Enjoy this beautiful day.

Weekend Update/Yarn Show

I had a date with my daughter Kristen and grand daughter, a trip to a local hotel and a yarn show.  I am a crocheter but was totally out of my element. I am allergic to wool and other animal fibers.  In fact, the worst allergic reaction I've ever had was with Kris at a yarn shop where they were winding wool. Happily, I had no bad reactions at this show.  I was amazed at the variety, quantity and cost of the yarn.

I got to spend time with my baby grand.  She was well behaved and quite popular.  So many people said hi to Penny and one dear sweet gentleman let her choose a clip, just because.  Penny choose a heart clip, exactly the one I would have chosen for myself. We are two pennies in a pod!

Kris said, " Mom I found something that is right down your alley."   She showed me the way to this booth, dressed in perfectly vintage accessories.  I suddenly felt right at home.

 Vintage doors, shutters, a old typewriter...

 Chalkboards, suitcases..great smelling soaps and lotion bars...

 and knitting notions.

 They staged all their products so beautifully with the vintage accessories.

 The ladies were so friendly and kind.

Kristen walked away with Penny so I was able to look and photograph.  I was inspired by their booth and will certainly be using some of their ideas for my own collection of vintage treasures.

This is the name of the company Retromantic, Mineral Point, Wisconsin.  They do not have a store but sell at shows. Check out their web page.

This is my grand daughter, a blur of blond hair.  So happy to spend time with my darling daughter Kristen and with the amazing Penny.  I hope this is the first of many outings together.

Penny spent the night and in the morning decided that she would like to marry Grandpa.  This is a phenomenon I am very familiar with.  When we were first engaged, many years ago, my niece Michele, a little older than Penny is now, decided that I should get "ungaged" from my dearest so she could marry him. There has been a line of little nieces and great nieces all falling in love with my guy through the years.  If I get pure joy for the love I get from Penny, there are no words for how her love for her Grandpa makes me feel.

Just a few weeks left of summer and I don't want to waste an hour of the precious light.  The days are already getting shorter, and though I never really miss the hot and humid weather, I love the long daylight hours. Remember to get out and enjoy every last long summer evening!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy this beautiful day!

Any Old Kind of Day

A colorful harvest.

Harry Chapin came to mind as I choose these photos from yesterday...

And it was just an any old kind of day  

The kind that comes and slips away

 The kind that fills up easy my life's time...

two 75 cent treasures

vintage thread, still in the wrapper

A walk at the Lake...Honey with a vintage car

A free concert

The night brought any old kind of dark

I heard the ticking of my heart

Then why'm thinking somethings left behind.  

Funny, I though it was just an ordinary day, until I downloaded the photos...

It was a great, beautiful day.

Have a great weekend my friends...

My Pal Jerry, The Butterfly

I've had the privilege of making the acquaintance of a butterfly our Babygrand named Jerry.

Mid morning when I go out to the garden, Jerry arrives and circles me.  Jerry has greeted Penny this way and my son Jon and FDIL Charlotte.  They might have though that I had gone mad, until they experienced Jerry for themselves. This butterfly is friendly!

 Hey, Jer, where you going?

 He let's me get this close...

 This close...

maybe he's drunk on nectar, but I am thrilled everyday by his (or her) visits.  Goosebumps!

Enjoy this beautiful day!

Wild Weather Weekend

These calm clear photos don't match my title today.  The weather on Friday was not
at all wild, but it was windy and hot, not unlike our wedding day.

 We spent our anniversary at our spot at Lake Michigan, on this bluff we love,

 as I look down with trembling knees.

Little things I notice and photograph...this is the summer of Queen Anne's Lace. I have some growing in my garden in back and in my front yard.  It brings me joy.

You gotta love technology that lets you have a business meeting without missing this view...or your anniversary.

A different variety of milkweed grows here in Wisconsin, and the Monarchs were everywhere.

We had a nice lunch and picked up a pie at The Elegant Farmer on the way home.  It felt like a little vacation, and we enjoyed celebrating 39 years of our happy marriage doing what we love best, being together.

 Look familiar?  Must be made by the same artisan or company that made the arbor on my header.

So pretty.  That was in Wisconsin too.

 Back home, this ONE black eyed Susan popped up in the cone flowers.  Tickled me, it did!

On Sunday, we headed to the city just after the storm that rumbled through Chicago and the Northern Suburbs on Sunday afternoon.  We were stuck in traffic for a long time and saw first hand the damage to trees along the highway. After dropping off our Penny after a brief but happy visit, we headed home with Jon and Charlotte.  After sharing dinner and a couple of episodes of  Who Do You Think You Are? (Love this show) I was off to bed, so tired... Then the wind kicked up and the lightning started.  Pretty soon hail was pounding on the roof and the windows.  It was the lightning, almost continuous, that frightened me most. My Buscia would get out the blessed candle to burn at the first signs of a thunderstorm.  I pace, checking the windows, cringing at the flashes and cracks of thunder.  Luckily the storm passed quickly and once my head hit the pillow I was asleep.  An exciting end to a great weekend.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for all your kind comments.  Enjoy this beautiful day.