Hay Field Magic

It was years ago when I followed the ghostly white patches on my dog through the trail in the woods.

The trees blocked the moonlight and only by occasionally calling out to Piper could I keep her close enough to see, as she guided me down the path. It was the route we walked every night. And as we had done so many nights before, she cut to the side, through a narrow opening in the brush and ran out into the neighbors hay field. I followed, watching my toes, stepping over the fallen log out into the open field and looked up stunned.

The field was a mass of golden lights, slowly rising into the sky.

Thousands of fireflies lit the air. Each of them flashing one long golden stream of light as it rose up into the night, only to settle back to the ground and begin again. A bunch of bugs had turned a humble hay field into effervescent magic. The two of us continued our walk. Piper trotted through the rising lights and I followed, soaking it in, hoping to remember forever the night we stepped out of the dark into a field of light.

It is again just that time of year, the rising one blink fireflies are out. Not as many this year and the white spots on the dog I now follow through the dark run too fast to use as a trail guide. But every year at this time when I see those slowly rising, one blink fireflies I remember Piper and one very special night.

After nine the fireflies came out and I headed out to lock up my birds, camera in hand, hoping to get a picture. Instead I got a swam of mosquitoes up my nose. I decided it was probably better this way. My night time photography skills aren’t up to illustrating this story even if there were enough fireflies in the air. But picture or no I’m linking up with Northwest Frame of Mind again this week. Click on over and see what else people have been up to in the nine o’clock hour!

An Englishwoman’s Guide to the Cowboy by June Kearns

Jul9

For the first time ever I was given a copy of a book to review by it’s author. (Actually what happened was Rosie Amber put out a call for volunteer book reviewers and I stuck my virtual hand in the air and said “Me! Me! Pick me!” – and then the author gave me a copy.)

But when I got the book, I’ll admit, I was a little nervous. Cowboy and Englishwoman romance- it could be awesome, it could be terrible. I’ve exchanged words with a few authors via book reviews before but never before I read the book. What if I hated it? What would I say? What had I agreed to?

Nothing for it, I took a breath, dove in and on the second page surprised myself by snorting out loud in laughter. Worries banished I settled in, ignored everyone I was on vacation with and spent the remainder of the afternoon giggling, snorting and laughing as I thoroughly enjoyed the book!

Would I recommend it? Had you told me that someone could successfully combine Louis L’Amour and Janet Evanovich I would have rolled my eyes. I would have been so, so wrong.

Is the ending a bit too perfect? Yes.

Did it stop my enjoyment of it? Not even a little bit.

Shake It Off

Jul7

How was your holiday weekend?

Were you as lucky as we were and able to turn it into a weeks vacation?

A trip with family and friends, canoeing and fishing,

swimming, and running,

kite flying and picnicking,

Yup, we picnicked with our Foosball table- cut the grilling operation out of the picture- everybody knows what that looks like!

fireworks and all?

Are you still in the habit of lazy days, afternoon drinks and delicious dinners?

If so, take a deep breath, savor the memory of reading in the sun and shake it off.

Because, if you are like me, you are home alone with kids used to constant company and entertainment and there’s nobody else around to help with dinner.

The vacations over – Trip shaking -just shake it off!

Sky Full of Martins

Jul3

As evening approaches, the wind dies and the cries of the purple martins ring out across the lake. Sitting in the grass, camera in hand, I watch the flock. Perched all over their gourds and supporting sticks, they twitter, preen and suddenly take to the air. Purple Martin Colony Calling, swooping and diving, the sky is filled with purple martins, glowing orange in the light of the setting sun.

I’m again linking up with Northwest Frame of Mind and her 1 Day 1 World project. Click over to see what else was happening around the world in the eight o’clock hour.

Let’s Go Fly A Kite

Jul2

When the kite wasn’t in a tree,

or a power line,

or being rehabilitated after such an event…

When kids weren’t fighting over it,

and a certain someone wasn’t falling out of a tree after rescuing it… Kite flying

Then, it was nothing but perfect windy day fun!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrasts

Jun29

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrasts

Grandpa’s been working on getting purple martins to nest in his gourds for years. Finally, after many years of empty nests, a few birds moved in. The colony has now grown and this year has been the best by far.

The picture shows my mom just starting to lower the colony in order to check the nests. In the few minutes it took us to peer in all the boxes, record what we saw and pull the whole works up again, we found twenty seven babies and forty one eggs!

All the data is collected, compiled and sent to Project Martin Watch which conducts a continent-wide survey of martins much of which is collected by volunteers.

Happy as a King

Jun26

“The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”

-Robert Louis Stevenson

The yard is bathed in a golden glow as the sun makes it’s way toward the horizon. The kids are swinging on the rope swing and Trip is a happy dog.

The burrs behind his ears (and is that a slug on his head?) say that it was cool enough that he just got back from a romp through the woods. He happily runs up to me to say hello before he disappears again and I’m enveloped in his terrible breath. Without a doubt it’s from the maggoty chipmunk I took away from him earlier. And, while it’s not yet evident in the picture, I believe his happy smile may be seen as evidence that he was already plotting his evening roll in the neighbor’s newly spread ~~sh…~~ fertilizer.

Yes, my dog’s world is full of a number of…things, and he is happy as a king!

It was right in the middle of the seven o’clock hour when I was out taking pictures of flowers in the perfect evening light and my stinky dog came by to visit. So I’m again linking up with Northwest Frame of Mind and her 1 Day 1 World project. Click over to see what else was happening around the world in the seven o’clock hour.

Good Kitty

Jun24

Despite the fact that Gypsy is the worst food thief of the bunch she’s still my favorite of the cats.

She purrs, she snuggles and last night she killed a mouse. Gypsy in a box

What a good kitty.

It’s been years –years – since a cat of ours caught a mouse. Fiona, our oldest, has never caught one. I’ve seen her disinterestedly look at one but that’s as far as she ever went. Henry, our old cat, has been gone for years but he caught mice…. kinda… Perhaps you need to read about Henry’s mouse catching to fully appreciate my excitement over a dead mouse.

For a story of the worst mouser ever (not to mention pictures of a tiny Ivy and Piper) read Henry the Cat.

And then, you will perhaps better understand why I am oh-so-happy to have a cat that kills the mice!

A Cup of Tea

Jun23

If you wake up a mom, she’s going to want a cup of tea.

While her water is heating, she’ll get herself some yogurt.

But, a kid will see her yogurt and want it. So she’ll give it to them.

Feeding a kid will remind her that she needs to check on the baby ducks. So she’ll leave the dad in charge of breakfast and go outside.

Once she checks on the baby ducks, she’ll decide to do the rest of the chores.

After she does the chores, she’ll run the dogs and water the plants.

Then she’ll come inside and remember her tea. She’ll take the warm water out of the microwave and put in a tea bag.

While her tea steeps, she’ll clean up the kitchen.

Cleaning up the kitchen will remind her that she needs to change the laundry.

When she piles the clean laundry on her bed she’ll pass by the bathroom.

That will remind her that she needs to brush her teeth.

Brushing her teeth will remind her that she still hasn’t eaten her breakfast, so she’ll head back to the kitchen.

Her kids will be off playing so she’ll take her yogurt to the computer and check her e-mail.

Checking her e-mail will magically alert the kids to her presence and they will all come crying about the rampant social injustice within her household.

Crying kids will make her grumpy, and when she’s grumpy, (and tired) she’s going to want a cup of tea.

But when she goes in the kitchen to get it…

… it’ll be cold.

This is not always how it goes. Many days John makes my tea and thrusts it in front of me somewhere in the middle of this progression – he’s a good man!

Concert in the Park

Jun20

Six thirty on a Friday night found us at our local park just as The Dang-Its started playing. Concert in the park

We sat in the sun, under the first blue sky in days, and pulled out our picnic supper. The next few hours were spent just as lazy summer evenings should be; lounging on the grass with friends, cold drinks in hand watching the kids run circles around us.