my view from the front steps...

I love sitting on the steps...

its my favorite place to sit outside...

it always has been...

and not just my steps...

any place I ever went with my parents when I was a kid...

seemed like I always ended up sitting on the front or back steps...

and if the adults were on the porch...

they took up the seating...

the gliders, porch swings and rockers...

which left the steps for us kids...

cleome...

love this plant...

this morning, there was a slight breeze out there...

and the cleome were swaying this way and that...

just sitting...

watching the breeze play with our yard...

seeing shadows in funny places...

heart shadows...

a perfect time to meditate, talk to God and just cleanse all the nasty stuff away...

and dreaming of what we might do next season...

in 2 or 3, even...

and looking at the weekend ahead...

dead heading is high on the list...

if I don't get to it this evening...

that depends on the weather...

I sure hope we can find these next year...

I will buy more than a 6 pack for sure...

the humming birds come to them...

and the moth hummingbirds come at night...

after supper...

I sit on the steps and watch them come in...

and the yard and beds have meaning for us...

little things from different people who have been in our lives...

and some who are no longer on earth...

do you like morning glories?

I know most see them as a weed...

but I don't...

I am going to do what I did last fall, too...

I am going to the field and pulled them and wrap them in other areas of the yard...

in other beds...

so more will come next year...

hoping I come up with some blue ones...

got the pink and purple going here!

so, how are you spending the last of your summer days?

I have a list...

LOL

a full list of just outside stuff...

:)

August? Already?

the months are just zipping by...

still working on the grass growing...

rose of Sharon is finally blooming with more little buds happening...

the standing water must have stunned it a bit...

DH and I worked in the yard last weekend...

and we cut back all the day lilies...

showing signs of fungus starting...

so this will get air movement back in there and dry things out...

we also relocated the deer family over here...

we have still got a bit to do, but I finally feel like we are getting there...

we got a small tiller/ cultivator on sale last week and picked it up...

its going to help out so much...

we have had cooler days, even cooler nights and the humidity is lower...

we have to get things done now before winter...

????

sedum coming up under the fern...

sedum is blushing already...

I have got 2 kitties ready to post for adoption...

it will be last of September before the others will be ready...

been having some family conferences since Craig came back...

he was beginning to get an attitude problem and I think we nipped that in the bud...

trying to decide what to do here for the ground covering...

another bag or 2 of the pea gravel?

(which washed away in the standing water)

or just use pavers?

making plans on where to create a new garden, too...

we can get the prep work done this fall so all we have to do is till and weed and plant in the spring...

and we are still working on the rose garden...

will see how time goes and what we can get done in between working and weather...

we need to get some painting done, too...

deck touch ups, back steps and swing before the leaves start coming down...

have a good week!

Craig's home...

and things went very well for them...

it looks like a future daughter in law is in the makings...

Jody had 3 horses of her own and then boarders them for others...

Craig loves Canada...

Jody's family all live on 77 acres there...

they run pretty much a self contained farm...

like they used to here...

they raise their own food and food for the livestock...

DH picked Craig up at St Louis late Wednesday night...

they got home around 2 am and it was just after 3 am before I got in bed...

Thursday, we all went shopping in Paris...

Walmart, Kroger and tried lunch at a place we used to go, but it has changed hands...

won't be going back...

'nough said...

came home and worked around here for a bit...

took off yesterday for Tuscola...

DH needed to get his safety glasses for work fixed...

Craig needed his sticker for the car...

we shopped at a new Dollar General and it was so nice and big and clean!

a bigger selection of items than any other DG that I have ever been in...

then we went to the outlet mall...

stopped at the kitchen gadget place...

drove around and  there were many empty store fronts...

but lots of people grabbing back to school clothing and shoes...

we ended up doing a late lunch at Monical's...

its a pizza place, but so awesome...

we tried something new...

lasagna, family size...

DH got a salad to go with his and Craig wanted extra breadsticks...

it came with 5...

we all ate our fill and brought home half of it...

the family size was $17...

as cheap or cheaper than a pizza...

the mower guys were here when we got back and so was Doug...

we unloaded and put things up...

Doug had some of the leftovers for supper and then went home...

:)

I think we will be taking them with us the next time we go...

got a load to do today around here...

want to rest up tomorrow...

Craig heads back to work Sunday morning...

DH on Monday...

weather has been perfect...

its 62 here this morning...

humidity is gone, too...

hope your days are blessed...

the sun's coming up...

Craig and Jody in the West Edmonton Mall (largest mall in North America)

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada...

with the paper that had 3 of my photos in it from the 4th of July...

one being on the front page there...

the editor/owner of our weekly paper has a theme called...

News Travels...

when you leave town, you take the latest paper with you...

and get a photo, like this, with the paper and send it to her...

and she publishes it in our weekly newspaper...

meanwhile, back on the prairie...

glads are blooming in their first year...

rose moss is doing good...

loves the sun and the hot...

my view looking down from the deck...

going to like playing in this area and changing it up from year to year...

the ball back in its place...

things are blooming...

and need dead heading...

progress!

I have 3 more bags of seed to sew...

liking this buttery yellow color...

still tweaking here...

but its really a great place to play...

especially on rainy days...

no mud!

we have the cooler days back...

its 62 right now...

and the humidity finally left...

its been awful here...

Craiger lands in St Louis late Wednesday night...

DH will make the 3 hour trip to pick him up...

they won't get home until 2-3 in the morning...

DH headed to work at 4:30...

getting up at 3 in the morning is not fun...

so heading back to bed to finish my night/day?

he took another 3 days off...

so after today...

I have him for five days...

except for the St Louis trip...

and its going to be cooler...

hoping to get some down time while he is off this time...

maybe...

:)

an awesome morning...

before the heat came, we had a stiff breeze, clouds and some raindrops...

which let us knock out a few things...

one right after another...

more dirt in the low places...

the new grass is coming in thick and soft...

waiting for it to seed before we mow...

got a new hydrangea to replace the azalea that we lost with the standing water...

Lime Light...

got the swing put on the frame...

its going to be a month or so before we can get it painted...

the ferns are loving all the hot and humid days and nights...

DH found 5 more gray blocks so we could finish the checker board pattern...

I love it...

roses are blooming and after being dusted, are doing much better and no sign of the Japanese beetles...

these crazy things keep blooming and blooming and blooming!

no sun this morning for the morning glories to open up...

but after lunch...

the sun popped out...

and did it get nasty...

105 heat index!

the worst day so far...

inside digging the central air!

babies update:

Wingus and Dingus did hard food this afternoon with no problems...

they did really good...

and seemed to really like the kitten chow...

so no more bottles for them...

in a bit, I will put in water and hard food bowls in their kennel...

:)

if they do good this next week...

they can be adopted out by next weekend...

:)

weekend blessings!