off of the deck this morning...

the city sprayed for skeeters last night at dark...

they haven't been too bad this year considering how things started out in the spring...

got 2 starts of lambs ear planted last night...

the corn is coming along...

the other in the field is head high now...

there is a cook out at the fire station tonight with bingo and a street dance to follow...

Saturday starts off with the car show on the square and vendors...

not planning on buying anything, but you never know until you get there...

after they sprayed, the wind picked up and we had thunder but no rain...

but it must have been some pretty good winds...

had to replant this to make room for the lambs ear...

got a gallon of exterior paint to touch up the deck and railings...

and whatever else I can do with it...

but doubt if I get to it this weekend...

maybe on the 4th...

both guys will be home...

Doug and Paula are camping out in the yard this weekend...

and I am sure there will be grilling going on...

:)

be safe and keep your pets inside during the fire works...

its the number one busiest day for shelters...

also, remember the vets who may have problems with it...

God Bless America!

starting to heat back up, but...

we  have had some excellent days in the 70s...

nights in the 50s...

and its been wonderful!

we finally hit 80 this afternoon...

I could have done the 70s all summer!

gearing up for the weekend, but taking a slow day today...

neighbor brought me a baby he found in his garage on Sunday...

so as the last furrball of the last litter went out...

another came in...

muted tortie and I named her Gidget...

I will get some photos of her soon...

I will only have her for about another week or so...

already adopted...

happy 4th weekend!

my small town...

I cannot imagine living in a big city...

not after spending my entire life living in small towns and cities...

I moved here when I was 21...

so the majority of my life has been here with my family...

the ups outweigh the downs...

but we sure could use a burger king...

and a small version of Walmart would be nice...

and a nice goodwill or second hand store...

then I would never have to leave town for anything!

everything else can be got online and shipped to me!

we are gearing up for a major 4th weekend here...

complete with street dancing and fireworks...

there will be chicken bingo and an ugly dog contest!

kiddie tractor pull, dunk tank and bingo at the fire station!

and an awesome car show with a DJ...

there is so much more and all next week I will post about it...

so don't forget to stop by and see what country bumpkins do for fun!

:)

Saturday with my kid...

DH had to work yesterday...

but Craig was off...

we mostly spray painted some things back to life...

he cooked up 3 pounds of hamburger for taco meat for tonight...

DH ran to Kroger after work and got us stocked back up again...

and we finished the day with a bon fire...

too full to roast hot dogs or anything like that...

going to have a slow day here...

working on general maintenance...

LOL

it all still has to be done, too...

we also got the last rose bush planted!

I am sore...

slow moving...

stiff and achy...

doing too much...

trying to keep up and get a little ahead...

not working so far...

but I am trying...

:)

hope your weekend is fun...

got some real nice cooler days here...

enjoying it all!

a day to myself...

one of the guys has been home with me now for the last week or so...

but tomorrow is mine...

Craig had to call in today because his car was in the shop...

over $700 worth this time...

so he will be back to work tomorrow...

and then be off Saturday...

while DH works Saturday and will be home Sunday...

so Friday will be my rest up day...

I am having trouble keeping up with them...

and the back pain is worse...

got rain moving in...

always does that to me...

:)

we could use a good soaking...

before the hot and dry happen again...

but that looks like it won't be happening for a week or so...

long range has us in the 70s...

it will be open the windows back up time!

next weekend is our town's 4th celebration and I am hoping to make it up to see part of it!

y'all have a great weekend and hope your weather is nice and cool like ours!

Happy Summer!

terribly sad to see spring go...

but we have done much this season in spite of all the flooding and bickering...

and there is always more to do...

because a garden or flower bed is never "done"...

beginning to look like a small English garden now...

so I think that is what we will embrace in this space...

and keep adding it to it through the years and see where else it goes...

got a handful of smaller projects we will be knocking off soon...

I love the heart shaped shadow on the roof of the bird house...

I think next year will see sweet peas...

enjoying my down time today...

had a good hour or so long talk with Craig...

just talk...

nothing special...

just a lot of if this were to happen or that...

funny times and sad ones...

I hope you are enjoying these days flying by...

that you take the time to walk barefoot in the coolness of the evening grass...

that the smallest of things hold the biggest places in your heart...

and that you are grateful for all that you have...

share that joy...

don't keep it all to yourself!

big hugs, everyone...

:)

Good Morning!

DH had a 4 day weekend and we worked out in the yard for most of it...

I did ok the first 2 days...

slowed up big time the 3rd...

and couldn't move much the 4th...

the trailer that the kids were in and trying to fix up...

burnt one night last week...

arson...

and we slept through it...

and a group of us confronted a trouble making neighbor...

let him know that the lies stop here and none of us are believing anything...

(he's been telling fibs on each of us to the others, trying to cause fights)

but we aren't falling for that...

even said he was suing me for texts I never sent to people I don't know...

claiming they are the reason he lost his mowing jobs...

( he lost them because he isn't good at it)

green beans here and a purple leaf sand cherry behind...

we planted 3 more of the purple leaf sand cherry bushes here...

and 2 more on each end of the rose garden...

(they were on sale at Walmart and Craig just grabbed them and brought them home)

$1 each and we have 6 now...

and then there is 2 other bushes...

called  Loropetalum- 'Carolina Midnight'

and they are a purple leaf bush with blooms...

and over the weekend the field popped up behind us...

we haven't had enough rain at one time yet to see if the drainage is really fixed or not...

only time will tell on that...

we are holding off working on the north side of the house until then...

there is much to do in the rest of the yard anyway...

:)

I can't believe how fast the warm weather months are going by...

and there are more plans in the works around here before it turns cold again...

the plans I made last winter hit the trash can early on...

:)

and still with all the set backs and reworking ideas that we thought were good before...

its all turning out better than we could have imagined...

even with the crazy neighbor and the arson...

Craig scored some really good deals for the yard...

and we have some more plans to expand the rose garden area as time moves on...

and the plants get bigger...

kicking around border ideas and have decided to just wait and see what goes on sale...

and just rolling with all the punches...

Craig's car threw a belt last week and DH had to go in and pick him up after work...

he's been driving our van to work all weekend and left us afoot...

so we couldn't get out to eat or shop...

which is ok...

got a lot of yard work done...

DH went back to work this morning and Craig has today and tomorrow off...

so its working out so far...

his car should be done today...

the clutch went out on his ac unit...

that can be a little pricy, but he has more than enough in savings to cover it...

so nothing to panic about...

so that's what we have been up to...

nothing exciting and no beach lounging here...

:)

just dirty knees and sore muscles...

have a great week!

been busy...

things are blooming here...

but we are so dry!

the city and a tiling company have been working on the drainage problems...

and looks like they found the problem on the other street and will not be tiling across our yard at all...

the field is still dry and they even replanted it yesterday...

our guess is beans since its too late to plant corn...

we got some work done outside over the weekend...

temps were good, but now it has really heated up here...

had to get some dead heading done, too...

things are getting out of control!

we had new neighbors for about a week...

such a sad situation...

a grandmother "sold" the property which has an old, junk mobile home on it to her grandsons...

and it doesn't belong to her!

its next door to the crazy lawn mower man...

who started telling lies about all the rest of us...

the poor girl on the corner is running a whore house...

one guy is mean and does drugs...

the other is a gay Mexican who speaks no English...

and I am the crazy lady who spends thousands of dollars on professional landscapers to get my yard to look this good!

all completely untrue!

our home was grand central station for about a week...

trying to figure out what was going on and all the rumors...

the one neighbor has told mower man twice now to shut his pie hole...

and he wasn't that nice about it...

the rest of us get along just fine...

:)

and I took the opportunity to be a light house and let my inner light shine for these poor boys...

ripped off by their own grandmother...

and the one neighbor who is the "mean one doin drugs" broke up with the love of his life...

she packed up and moved out...

and he is so sad, mad, confused...

DH has been calling me Dr Phil...

LOL

they all come knocking when they need to talk...

and the saddest thing of all for these boys...

they are homeless now...

living in a tent behind their parents home...

we hope...

in another town- DH drove the last one home...

and it was not a good home...

when he left, he cried and said no one has ever treated him like a real person before...

he and his brother both have seizures...

one or two a day...

and he had a dog that he asked me to find a place for her...

so I called our animal shelter and paid the pick up fee for him...

this one boy's name is Micheal....

and he needs prayers...

he is searching...

for answers, for love, for hope...

but mostly, for salvation...

he is Craig's age...

such a different outcome between the two...

home life was so bad for him...

dad is an ex marine who knocked his front teeth out when he was in high school...

wears a partial...

and he had to go back there...

just ask for his safety and his well being...

God's love and peace...

the dog he had to give up...

Jules...

had given him a reason to get up in the mornings...

a reason to try harder...

and all the unconditional love that animals bring...

and he kept asking me why would God do this to him...

I said God didn't...

but, in all of this...

there no where to go but up now...

and someone else might just need Jules more than he does...

he trained her to take care of him during his seizures...

and they have her listed as such...

the past week has been heartbreaking...

and there have been more tears shed on this little deck of ours...

its just amazing how God works...

who he brings in and out of our lives...

even for a week...

hope you have had good days...

and special moments...

and please, keep praying for this boy/man...

that the next person he is sent to treats him right...

and things keeping happening for him...

;)