Melissa's Amusings: 2015

With just a week left until Fall, I started thinking of all the projects and plans that I had at the beginning of Summer. Since many of them did not happen, I was tempted to blame it on the rainy beginning for a slow start to the summer season.

But then I wondered, "Well gee whiz, what DID I do?" and came up with the following.

I am a 'fair weather' gardener. After the initial Spring clean up and planting, the conditions have to be just right for me to venture out and do yard work. It can't be tooooo hot or humid and no sun is allowed! I am either out on a cloudy day or in the shade. So, in other words, I garden only once in awhile during this season :-)

Geoffrey caught me in the shade of the Japanese Maple.

I preferred to let the areas get to a point where they really need some work....

that way when I actually did something, it was noticeable :-)

The plants just kind of grew on their own....

flowers and herbs

sometimes almost 'overtaking' the little garden statues.

Beginning of summer, this bluebird's stick legs and boots could be seen.

By not disturbing the plants too much, I was able to see quite a few creatures 'living' in my gardens!

It was relaxing to see the plants around the yard as they grew and blossomed with so little care.

A little time was spent keeping the bird baths filled with fresh water and sugar water in the hummingbird feeders.

So when I had my leisurely morning coffee on the sun porch....

Geoffrey installed the brackets so that my cheery mobiles could be hung.

I would look out the window....

and be entertained by all the bird activity out in the yard.

I scared the birds away when I tried to take this pic :-(

Between the leisurely mornings and random yard work; some volunteering would add some structure to the week. Jim and I would spend a few hours Wednesday mornings at ISM's Geology dept. in the Resource and Collections building. As we sorted, re-boxed, and relabeled the different fossils, we saw many interesting specimens.

Some of the old labels were as interesting as the fossils.

Slowly, we are getting them in order.

I was very fortunate to find another volunteer opportunity, Mini O'Beirne Crisis Nursery, that worked very well with my random schedule of being available(due to travel,visiting,etc).

picture taken from MOCN's Fb page

I always look forward to walking up this sidewalk. The staff is friendly, the children are a joy and delight to be with and when I leave it is with a full and contented heart :-)

Picture taken from MOCN's Fb page

Late afternoon was a good time to be in the pool, by that time the trees had cast a shadow over half the pool and the sun was not as intense.

These chairs look nice, but are rarely used :-(

Most of the time I would be by myself doing my version of water aerobics, or better yet, bobbing and floating in the water. It was very pleasant to just drift with the 'noodle' on the current of the 'jet stream' going into the pool. Birds would be singing, leaves rustling in the breeze, cicadas or crickets drowning out the outside world noise; all while I enjoyed watching the beauty of the butterflies and bees on the flowers near the pool and the hummingbirds antics at the feeders :-)

fun to see the ripples in the water and their reflections at the bottom of the pool

The pool was also a great place to' relax and catch up' with family!

Justin's landing a job with the Army as a civilian at White Sands Missile Range (Las Cruces, New Mexico) provided me with many hours of entertainment. He decided it was time for him to buy a house, so I gladly spent time on the computer to see what was out there in his budget. I don't know why, but I do get quite hooked at perusing all the different houses!!

I missed my calling- I should have been a real estate agent!

We accompanied Justin to Las Cruces and enjoyed seeing the different houses....

most were southwestern style

and their yards....

discussing the pros and cons

and the interiors.

I really like the heavy tile flooring and the wood beams on the ceilings.

Some were a bit quirky!

The scenery was outstanding at many of the houses!

The market is quite tricky now; the appraisals are quite a bit lower than what the sellers want, so finalizing a deal and getting a loan is a very slow process .....as of right now, Justin is still living in an extended stay hotel :-( The sightseeing we did there will eventually be the subject of another blog.

This was the summer for me to see railroad museums. This one in Green Bay, Wi with Nathaniel and Geoffrey...

These were fun to walk thru and seeing the old fashioned decor.

and this one in Las Cruces, New Mexico with Jim, Justin, and Geoffrey. I believe railroad museums will be the subject for a future blog.

One of several model train set ups

Besides the trip to Las Cruces, Geoffrey and I took a trip to Wisconsin to visit Nathaniel and Door County before he headed back to SIUE. A little bit of everything was done that week :-)

rocky shoreline at bottom of a bluff

hiking

Geoffrey posing his car for a pic.

skipping rocks

kayaking

taking in the tranquil settings

Of course all throughout the summer, multiple trips to the library....

an ever revolving selection of books in my library book trunk

some pickle ball playing....

and of course board games were done :-)

Ticket To Ride- one of my favorite games

Now looking back at the summer, maybe not a lot was accomplished, but it was a good one. :-)

Started the days off by relaxing with a cup of coffee and breakfast while listening to the birds; Warblers,Ovenbirds, Thrashers, Robins,Chickadees, etc. Of course, I also had my binoculars around my neck :-)

Afternoon coffee breaks, too

Daily jaunts were made to some of our favorite places.

Garrett Bay

No jet skis or motor boats, so it was nice and quiet.

William and Geoffrey testing the temperature of the water. Still bone numbing cold, not quite swimming temperature, yet!

Spent some time here,soaking up the sun and scenery along with listening to the lapping of the gentle waves on the shore.

In between our jaunts, we would spend time at Martha's (my sister). There we had a lot of fun and laughter playing some music together, as depicted in this picture I painted :-) In case you can't tell who's who....I am to the left playing the alto recorder, Nathaniel is next to me with the bass recorder, Martha is next with tenor recorder, and Justin is on the right with a classical guitar.

This 'Buddha board' is a Mother's day present. Paint on the white board with water and your design/art work boldly appears. As it evaporates the pic fades leaving you with a clear mind; 'live for the moment and enjoy'....Nathaniel says taking pics of it defeats its purpose :-)

A peaceful, quiet, foggy morning.

On a clear day, bluffs in the background can easily be seen.

Opposite of the Buddha board that fades away, as the fog lifts-items appear. But still same feeling-clears the mind and 'live for the moment and enjoy'.

If I had been by myself, the following outings/experiences would not have occurred. I have a tendency to want to 'stay put' once evening arrives. However, usually Geoffrey didn't want to just sit around and relax. So, he drove us around and we experienced the area in a 'totally different light'.

County Beach near Baileys Harbor

Sand Cress

Rieboldt's Creek entering Moonlight Bay

Pelican

Rieboldt's Creek/Moonlight Bay

Anclam Park in Baileys Harbor

Keeping warm by having their backs to the wind? Someone is a little mixed up about which way to face :-)

This would be Geoffrey's view from the pic above.

This would be Justin's view.

Justin 'riding the dock' as it goes up and down with the waves....Geoffrey trying to fly?

Now Geoffrey is 'riding the dock'.

Geoffrey showing Justin how to angle his wings for flying.

Anclam Park

Some of these next ones taken in Ephraim are like from the 'twilight zone'. It was very pleasant walking around in the fog as it gradually got darker out.