Big letter vintage postcards...

one of my favorite things is vintage postcards...and then I got started on big letter postcards...

I have an album full of them...

that got me into big letter postcards with names on them...

and with all the genealogy I do, I thought it would be fun to collect these with names of my family on them...

so this is Nelly- I have a great aunt Nellie...

this one is for my aunt Edna...

my great aunt Helen...

my great uncle Jack...

my dad, Joe, in German...

my brother in law, Raymond...

and I kept this one just because it's fun...

I have a thing for moon and stars, too...

I got a huge lot of these at a really good price...

and I put the ones that don't mean something in my booth to sell...

so someone else can find a treasure...

have a good evening...

the mess we call our yard...

the limbs are hanging so low we can't even get to the swing...

one of the front beds...but typical throughout the yard...everything is so big now...we have 2 1/2 more months of growth time...

this is the size these should be at the end of summer...

it's time to thin out and cut back...

the grass is full of clover and needs mowed again...

unfinished projects just waiting for the sun to come out...and things to dry out..

this is going to look so good painted white...

and we need to get the left over blocks worked into projects...

and the weeds are everywhere...

the driveway and walk...

we are burning the picnic table...it was free...

but really in bad shape...

Jesse and Craig are going to start in on this in the morning...

with all the rain...most of the weeds should pull easy by hand...

we will spray the rest...

if it doesn't rain and wash it all off...

the mosquitoes are going to be terrible this year...

and we got more rain late afternoon and it's still raining...

but we are supposed to be clear for 3 days...

I wish I could get a do over...

but we have been really blessed with the last few summers and have really been able to get out and enjoy most of it...Illinois weather goes in cycles and we have been due for a nasty summer...so here it is...maybe fall will be better...

we're wet...

it got dark all of a sudden...so I checked the radar and this is what I found...

I went to check outside and it was already raining...

we might be serious about that dock now...

the rain is warm and humidity was better...

it's a nice steady, warm rain...

and all was good until I came back inside...

about froze...

so I grabbed a towel...

this isn't our afternoon storms we have been getting...

they don't hit until about 4-5...

so we could get more later...

this is supposed to be the last day of it for about 5 days...

I hope they are right...

but this is sure good nappin' weather...

photo shoot time...

day lily...

and mum...

I do not have fancy equipment..

just a cheap digital camera...

and my background is bounty quilted paper towels...

I like the texture....

my desk lamp provides lighting from the side to cast shadows...

turn off the flash...

be very steady...

and have fun...

these photos are so great to make a mini photo album of what  you have when you go shopping...

my best advise is take lots of photos...

we take 30-50 a day...

if they don't come out...delete...

just play, play, play and have fun...

that's when the best photos happen...

gosh, it's almost noon...

not moving too fast this morning...

they are opening!...

we may have to build a dock...the fields have standing water in the low places...

and there's just tons of new growth...

but the japanese beetles didn't drown...

they crawl out of the ground long enough to mate, poop and eat my ferns...

they are highly attracted to white flowers...my hibiscus...

and to my rose of sharon...

if you don't have these little pests at your house...be very thankful...

if  you do...I'm so sorry...

and never use the bug bags...

it only draws more in...

the best way is to pick them off and drop them in a bucket of soapy water...

I grab them and pinch them...

but some people don't like doing that...

I have neighbors who say they bite...

I have never been bit...yet...

so take a good look at the ferns now...within a week, they will brown and about half gone...