ODE TO THE HYDRANGEA

Do you love 

HYDRANGEAS

like I do?

If so-

you may enjoy this sweet 

little poem in their honor!

THE HYDRANGEA

Oh- Sweet Mop Head 

that bobs and sways,

holding court in the garden

for long warm days.

We watch you bloom

pristine and white,

You shimmer by day

and glow at night.

When Fall comes tramping

down the lane,

You feel your life

Has been in vain.

Your time is limited

that we know.

What choice do we have

but to let you go?

But wait, oh wait,

Oh dear, Oh dread,

SOMEONE somewhere

lopped off your head.

And here you sit

Without a shout

For dear old Nana

Has dried you out.

And the great queen shouted to those below her.

"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS"

~The End~

Come back again-if you dare-

Have a wonderful, blessed Sunday-

AND

watch out for the cranky old lady

with scissors in her hand!

THREE DAYS OF NON-STOP WORK!

This has been a 

VERY WEIRD SUMMER!

I usually get my flowers by the end of May.

Not this year.

No sir-re-bob! 

I didn't get my porches cleaned.

I didn't get the playhouse cleaned.

I didn't get the patio power washed.

I could blame it on that lingering cough

OR 

I could blame it on the weather

OR

I could blame it on laziness.

Let's go with the cough!

So---here is a hydrangea that I am 

"babysitting" for my daughter until

she gets moved into her new home.

This will be the 

ONLY PRETTY THING 

you see on my blog today.

Instead- I am going to give you a dose of 

REAL LIFE at MY HOUSE!

Ready?

This is how this looked when I started.

Then I moved on to this area!

This was after I had stripped things

and piled them in anticipation of

cleaning...it did not look like this

in the very beginning.

Then the wind carried me out to 

The Playhouse!

THREE BIG PROJECTS

in

THREE DAYS.

Yes- I can still move---

but barely.

And on Day Three

I enlisted some help to 

power wash the patio-

uh-huh!

Yes- He's a pastor but I am pretty sure

I mighta heard a naughty word or two.

Oh-Wait- Maybe that was ME saying them!

So- on Thursday-

If you are very, very good and promise not

to put the leftover soup from your bowl

back into the pot 

I just might show you some

AFTER PICTURES

of the above three areas.

Betting MyHero wishes he were back here.

Oh- Yeah...

I almost feel sorry for him...

A-L-M-O-S-T!

I'll be with my buddies at the VA this morning.

Can't wait!

Sweet Summer Sights And Smiles And Sighs

I don't know about you but I can't believe that 

SUMMER IS ALMOST OVER.

Long before Pinterest I saved images

the old fashioned way in loose leaf notebooks.

I have hundreds-maybe thousands of images-

all categorized (it's a sickness)

If any of these are your images

let me know and I will gladly  give you credit.

What does late summer look like to me?

The leaves and grass are still green but the 

wheat fields are ready to harvest-

golden and ripe.

The hay is baled and will be used for feed

when winter's blanket covers the frozen tundra.

You see a butterfly here and there.

They move languidly and know there is

not much summer time left for them.

Farmers Markets are full of bountiful harvests.

I do remember this image is from Bucks Co, PA.

Close to my old home.

Summer days play out quickly.

They leave us with shorter days and cooler nights.

Nights that are perfect for a bonfire.

Schools throw their doors open to welcome

students back.

SweetCheeks is going off to first grade.

Last year she had a 

WONDERFUL TEACHER

I'm hope she is, once again, the

Apple of her teacher's eye.

And NOT THIS kind of apple!

Nope- I hope she is THIS kind of apple

Bright and sweet and just a little nutty!

God bless our teachers as they

go back to school and shape our

children's lives.

I'm not quite ready for Fall yet.

Nope!  I am holding onto summer

just a bit longer.

Just a few more warm, balmy days.

Just a few more sweet mornings

drinking coffee on the porch.

Just a few more days.....

How about you?

Are you ready for Fall?

A SMILE or a SIGH?