Night Reflections

I took this picture as it was getting dark. I love the reflections in the water. The beauty around me is amazing.

My Flowers

I always plant a lilac chiffon geranium. Lilac is my favorite color, so my garden is always heavy on the lilac and purple flowers.

This is a lilac Penta.

We had a heavy rain storm this afternoon. The rain looks cool on the leaves of my hosta.

My clematis blooms are almost ready to burst into flowers. They are so heavy this year that they almost touch my hosta plant.

A Rose

To A Friend Who Sent Me Some Roses by John Keats

As late I rambled in the happy fields,
What time the skylark shakes the tremulous dew
From his lush clover covert; -when anew
Adventurous knights take up their dinted shields;
I saw the sweetest flower wild nature yields,
A fresh-blown musk-rose; 'twas the first that threw
Its sweets upon the summer: graceful it grew
As is the wand that Queen Titania wields.
And, as I feasted on its fragrancy,
I thought the garden-rose it far excelled;
But when, O Wells! thy roses came to me,
My sense with their deliciousness was spelled:
Soft voices had they, that with tender plea
Whispered of peace, and truth, and friendliness
unquelled.

When You Live By the Bell

as I do for nine and a half months of the year, it takes some time to adjust to life without the bell. Yes, I'm a teacher, and I have my summers off. I love it; don't get me wrong, and I'm lucky, but it's a life I chose many years ago. I love teaching. It is a challenge and a joy. I never regret my decision to be a teacher. But sometimes living without the bell can be a challenge as well as a joy. The words summer vacation bring up memories and challenges. Summer is supposed to be a relaxing time where the days are endless and filled with summer breezes, summer heat, swimming pools; and the nights are long, lanquid, and spent around the porch sipping ice-cold lemonaide or tea. The realities of summer are often equaled to the other holidays where we are supposed to have perfect days just like the memories of our childhood and the images of greeting cards. I have to adjust to my summer life. I have many projects to do and books to read, but somewhere inbetween, I have at the side of my brain those three new classes I am going to teach; the textbook is in the spare bedroom. I can start my lesson plans now. But what about the self-imposed rule of not starting school lessons until after July fourth? But if it's self-imposed, I can break the rule, right? The plain fact is I love teaching and planning, so for me, summer is a time to reorganize for the fall. I still can work on those projects and read and enjoy summer days and summer nights, but maybe next week, I will look at that textbook and start reading and planning. And, yes, I will read Alias, Grace by Margaret Atwood, because I may add that book to my A.P. Class. It's sitting on the shelf and waiting for me. Right beside that book is A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. That is definitely a summer read for me. And, of course, I have my stitching. I always look forward to summer to stitch many projects, but I can't seem to get started. I think it's because I have too many, and I don't have a focus. My mind spins with all the pretty patterns and fibers and fabrics. I need to get back to the days of my stitching childhood, where I embroidered butterflies on my jeans and worked on one lovely project at a time, instead of creating a stash of projects I may never do. That is my goal. And with that in mind, I do have one that I plan to start to stitch tonight. What's old is often new again, and this is the case with my first project. I was going through some of my old projects and found one that I had always "meant" to do. I want something fun and simple without any letters or alphabets. I found Becky and Max by Kindhearted Woman. For me, this pattern is fresh and young and fun. I then want to stitch Finch Song by Shepherd's Bush. I have the fibers separated and labeled, thanks to my dear friend Barb. Perhaps those two projects and two books will take me through June. I always have my gardening. And that's where I'm headed right now. I need to work on my raspberry bushes. Some of them are quite out of control. Well, those are my ramblings for June 2, already.
Becky and Max by Kindhearted Woman is charming. I have decided to stitch this pattern on Silkweaver's 32. ct. Belfast Linen Meadow Mist.
I think this is a carefree and charming pattern to stitch in June.
Here are the lovely fibers that I get to stich with. I still need two more.
Finch Song by Shepherd's Bush is a beautiful sampler.
The fibers are really beautiful.
The button and charms that go on the chart are quite pretty.

Fascinated with Nature

I just love all the birds and other adorable animals that come out in the spring and summer. Right before dusk I took these pictures of a robin and a rabbit.
This robin was looking for a night time snack.


This rabbit appears to be listening for any untoward sounds in the approaching night.

Boy's Day Out . . .

"Where are all the girls"?


. . .and a little rabbit munching on some leaves.

Potpourri of Pictures

It has been such a cold, rainy, stormy, two days. Today it is 48 degrees, winter coat weather. The rocking chairs are moving on the porch. I thought since it is wintry and forbidding looking that I would post some pictures that will remind me that warmer and nicer weather is promised for the Memorial Day Week-end.



I'm not sure if this has anything to do with spring weather or cold weather, but here's a picture of my cat Dazzling Dasher, Dasher for short. He loves to be high above every person and every cat. I think he's an awesome cat.




This beautiful white crane is resting in the nature area behind my house.




I love my jonquils.




Today's a nice day to bake. How about a yellow, chocolate-swirl marble bundt cake?




This bunny is washing himself outside of my living-room window.

Mama Killdeer

I have a picture of a beautiful Mama Killdeer who is hiding her baby under her wings.

Lost My Followers (Edited)

I'm not sure if they're ever show up on my blog again. I lost all of my followers when the blog problems occurred this past week. Have any of you had this happen? I don't know if they will be recovered. I hope that people will follow my blog again.

Edited: I have my followers again. Of course, I would welcome any new follwers. I plan to post more often than before.

Stormy Sunset

We had a very stormy night here. I took this picture of a spooky-looking sunset. The sky was orange and yellow. The weather has moved from in the nineties for the last three days to the high fifties today. And, of course, the rain is here for the week-end.

Mother Duck and her Eggs

I have the most adorable mother duck beside of my front porch. She has a nest of eggs. I took a picture of her sitting on her nest while I was inside the house. I didn't want to bother her. When she went to eat, I took a picture of her nest and eggs. I counted eleven of them. Yesterday she covered her eggs up with her down. I can't wait until her ducks hatch.


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Birds and a Gosling

I love spring. Today however was more like summer, 92 degrees. I'm not ready for that yet. It is so great seeing the birds. I also have a goose family with one gosling.

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Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

I just love this book. It is a marvelous first novel by Helen Simonson. It is about a retired English major, Major Pettigrew, who lives in Edgecombe St. Mary, a small English village. He is widowed and is becoming close friends with Mrs. Ali, a Pakistani woman who owns the local grocery shop in the village. The book is so much more than that though. It involves prejudices, the new versus the old beliefs in life, and a thoroughly engaging protagonist who learns as much about himself as he does about his son and his village friends. This is a great book that I'm reluctant to finish since this is Ms. Simonson's first novel. I'm hoping she comes back with another one real soon.

Small Hawk

Small hawk swaying in the wind atop a tree.

Spring?

I spent last week-end with my son at his university for Mothers' Week-end. The weather was lovely, and the trees were all in bloom. Today in Chicagoland, it is rainy, windy, and cool; however, the trees are starting to bud, and some spring flowers are blooming. I hope to be able to get some good pictures in the next few days. I have not posted for so long. I hope to get back to posting in a more routine manner. Work has been busy, and I am tired when I get home from work. I do enjoy reading all the great postings from my blog friends however.


This friendly little squirrel came up very close to me. I think he's used to being fed by the university students. I was taking an early morning walk and didn't have any squirrel treats with me.

Blizzard of 2011

In the Chicago area, the Blizzard of 2011 has been an experience of a lifetime. The twenty inches of snow, high winds, blowing snow, thundersnow, and the drifting snow have created a panorama of beautiful pictures. Add to that, a gorgeous black and white striped bird with a red ring around its neck, eating at my birdfeeder, and I have had a most interesting time watching nature around my house. I hope you enjoy my pictures.

Halloween in January

This is my first cross stitch finish in 2011. I actually started it in 2010, but that doesn't count. This finish is Country Spirits Collection "Delivering Tricks" by Homespun Elegance. The fabric is Weeks Dye Works "Straw" Hand-dyed Linen in 30 count. The fibers are Weeks, Crescent Colors, and DMC. It was really a lot of fun to finish with two buttons for the wagon wheels and an Olde Tin Star for accent. My next cross stitch project is "Be Merry - Belle Pepper" by Little House Needleworks. I look forward to starting this chart.

I Need To Start Posting

I need to start posting. I have nothing really to share today except I'm going to look at a new camera. I want one that has a telescopic lens. I would like to take pictures of birds and other beautiful animals that come around my house and live in the nature area behind my house. It's difficult to get up close to them, and so sometimes I have to take their pictures through my window. I hope to find one today or tomorrow. I have also almost finished a cross stitch project that I will post a picture of as soon as I sew on the buttons. I have one more day left before I have to go back to work (I'm a teacher). I have no complaints. I am grateful that I have been off for two weeks. Other than that, I am not really doing much.

The Last Day of November

Tomorrow is the last day of November. December, the final month of the year, is almost here. Where does the time go? How often have we heard that question? It's probably true that time flees more quickly the older one gets. I have heard that statement over and over again, but I wonder if it's as simple as that. As a teacher, I notice that young people are so busy and move so quickly from event to event that they seem to be living at a quick pace. I believe that life that once allowed for introspection and peacefulness is more difficult in our society today. I'm not sure how much we can change. I live in that fast-paced world now too. I have my cell phone, my I-Pod, my movements from home to work, to running errands, to preparing for tomorrow's work and back once again. I try to take the time to enjoy and contemplate, but I'm always preparing a lesson, or grading some papers, or entering grades, or doing something that has to be done. I'm not complaining; I'm grateful that I have that to do. I do, though, enjoy the idea of the peacefulness that comes with winter, the quiet snowy days and peaceful winter nights. In that regard, I look forward to December. I hope that it might bring a snow day or, at the very least, a snowy day that begins when I get home from work and continues throughout the night. I am starting Great Expectations by Charles Dickens with my AP English class. I always think that reading Dickens takes one back to a more introspective time--true a time with many social problems, but one that brings with it that Victorian time frame, that mood-filled immersion into a London of remarkable characters and image-filled pages that transport the reader into a winsome world. It's the little things that make the days memorable, whether they're moving quickly or not.

Happy Thanksgiving

I wish each and everyone of you a Happy Thanksgiving. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day a holiday on October 3, 1863? He proclaimed that the holiday, a day of thanksgiving and praise, be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.

President Lincoln said, "I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

Let us count our blessings and thank all of our servicemen and women who are observing this Thanksgiving Day holiday while protecting our great country.

God Bless Everyone.