For now, it’s the weekend

Hi everyone,

I thank you from my heart for your lovely and loving comments, recommendations, and wishes on Friday as well as the positive feedback yesterday about my Word of the Month poem contribution. The last two days have been a tonic and I’ve loved every minute.

This morning Sandy is watching Sunday Morning and I’m on the computer for a while. A lazy day stretches ahead. Later, Robin, Tim, and Kris will come over. The guys will help me move a large hibiscus plant from the kitchen back outside to it summer position beside the pool. We’ll do burgers on the grill. The pool? Why not.( I’m showing this picture like I’ll be dong the grilling, but rest assured they will be in Tim’s domain.)

Tomorrow will come when it comes. But for now, it’s the weekend and I’m relaxing. See everyone?

Home again home again

Hi everyone,

Home again. It takes fourteen hours, which we spread over two days, to drive from Springfield to Santa Rosa Beach, a four day roundtrip, but only 1 1/2 hours each way to fly. We flew this time. I drafted a poem during yesterday afternoon’s flight home and we arrived with time to spare for unpacking and enjoying the soup that our wonderful neighbor, Linda Goodman, had ready for us. Our dear friends, Larry and Maryann Wakefield, picked us up at the airport so you can’t make a trip from Florida easier than that.

This morning it’s back to work, the view of Goose Lake a familiar and comforting sight. All the beautiful plants and flowers we left twenty-four days ago are as gorgeous as when we left, thanks again to Linda.

This promises to be an eventful week as some scheduling issues get settled. If things go as I hope, my writing time will be taken for a long time to come. More about it as I go through the week.

For now, it’s good to be home and back in our Springfield routine.

The rewards of observation

Hi everyone,

Writers are forever telling kids (and others) that ideas are often inspired by observation. Yesterday a small invasion of blackbirds provided me with a fun example that will go into a PowerPoint one of these days. The marauders chased away all the smaller birds around the feeders, helped themselves to grass seed recently sprinkled on bare spots in our yard, and topped it off with a quick drink for the road. I snapped a few pictures from my kitchen with chairs and tables in my way. I didn’t dare get closer to the sharp-eyed pirates. Even so, I was rewarded with a drama worth watching and tucking away for a time when such behavior might be needed.

Just what I need, a little splash and a cool drink. Ahh.

Mine, ladies. Don’t even think about it.

What did I just tell you???

Sulk all you want, but this water belongs to me!

Understood?

Sometimes you simply have to remind them who’s boss.

Hey leave me out of this. I only drink chlorinated water.

My night to cook

Hi everyone,

Yesterday we drove two hours to Versailles, Missouri near Lake of the Ozarks so I could talk to kids in the Morgan County Library summer reading program. (I had a fine time!) Last night we lounged lakeside and enjoyed dinner as the geese paraded by on their evening constitutional.

Sandy offered to cook something for dinner but I volunteered to prepare a special delicacy of mine instead.

It just doesn’t get much better.

Time to sit back a bit

Hi everyone,

It has been a good week. Today we’ll do a few chores and relax a little. For one thing, there’s our toad tadpole farm to keep an eye on.

Birds to feed.

Maybe some pool time and let the evening come softly.

I wish you all a nice weekend.