Photo Friday

There are some fun parties in Blogdom. One that intrigues me is Wordless Wednesday. (I'd provide a link if I could figure out where.) It's just that I have so many words on Wednesday, but by Friday? Not. so. much. That's why I'm trying Kati's party — Friday is the perfect day!

~Summer Windowsill~

Kati has a link-up the first Friday of the month. (Would you believe that I thought this was the first Friday of the month? Sigh.)

A wonderful weekend to you...

Border Skirmish

Apparently, I'm addicted to these provocative titles. ;>

By way of explanation, my "corner" of the globe is tucked between New Brunswick and Quebec, Canada. We are actually much closer to Quebec, but visit New Brunswick more often since that is where the family cottage is located. Since September 11, 2001, crossing the border has, understandably, become a little more complicated.

It is because of these complications that my sister became a dual citizen. (Sis was able to do this because our mother lived and died a Canadian.) There was a brief window of time to take advantage of that opportunity a few years ago. (It may have already ended.) Anyway, she did take advantage of the chance; I didn't. Sis believed that border crossings would become less of a hassle if she had a ticket to ride in either direction, so to speak. She also has a passport, of course. I don't. I need either a passport or at least the lesser version that allows me to go to Canada or Mexico so I can visit Canada once again. 

Sis and my son received the cottage as an inheritance. Sis is setting about to make it an attractive and comfortable place to vacation whether for a few days, a week or even a month. It's why we were making new curtains for the bedroom doors last week. 

Part of this setting up of a home away from home involves comfortable sleeping. When she and her husband were there in July, they purchased a new mattress set. This time, they took up a gently used set, very gently used. It's probably only been slept on for a month. 

They drove right up to the border expecting entrance and were turned away because of the mattress. Bed bugs. No, there were no bed bugs, but that is the Canadians' concern. This is very amusing to me as bed bugs are everywhere, even Canada. We can thank our liberal immigration policies for this I suppose. Anyway, the Canadian Custom Agent didn't want a gently used mattress or any other mattress from the U.S. in his bed bug free environment. Forgive me while I chuckle. 

That's when I received the urgent call spoken of in yesterday's post. That's when my brain fired in all directions trying to think of what to do, what to do. Expensive mattress, not going to return all the way home because of the length of the drive, local storage unit facility not answering her call. I suggested that she call our Canadian cousin to see what he might say and then call me back.

In the intervening time, John and I arrived at "the kids' place." My son just shook his head in disbelief. My daughter and daughter-in-law had no suggestions either. We have seen many policy changes through the years, but this one was a special conundrum.

My Canadian cousin did have a suggestion: he has more American cousins...imagine that...who live close to the border on the U.S. side, but he knew that he'd have no way of explaining to Sis how to get there as his other American cousin lives on back roads deep in the woods. No go. Canadian cousin did say that he had a spare mattress set and would gladly donate it to the cause. Score!

In the meantime, what to do with the expensive set still on the trailer of Sis's vehicle. What might you have done? 

You're not going to believe what they did...

~camouflaged ???~

Right. They found an abandoned home and abandoned the mattress. Ackkkkk! Can you see it? 

We are all still shaking our heads and hoping that it'll be there when they go to pick it up.

Edited to add: Just as I was finishing this post, an email arrived with this subject: "Mrs. Beasley." It read: Just picked her up, none the less for the rain!! What an ordeal. 

I'll say, Sis, for all of us! ☺ As I said previously, nothing like a little drama.

Oh, and really, what might you have done?

Tomorrow? A simple post and short. I promise.

A Photo Drive By

One of my readers said that she'd never heard of this kind of Drive By Shooting. They are the most pleasant kind. 

I first became aware of them six years ago at Melissa's Inspired Room. I think that the decorating blogs are more inclined to do them. I've done them from time to time, though I'm not so good at it. I may show you houses or fields or my husband's profile. I may take my own photo in the mirror and I may miss the house entirely and get only the barn or vice versa. 

Let's start at the reason for the drive...the photo challenge and the lake. 

~too pedestrian~not using it ☺~

Have you ever heard the importance of a diagonal line in art? It's true for photos, too, though this is not the finest example.

 ~I rather like this one. I may use it.~

So here we go, dirty windshield and all...

Spectacular clouds...I think a lot of us have been seeing these skies lately...

Oops! A miss...

I really like Federal Style homes...such large, square rooms. I like the transom window over the double front door as well. I'm sure that the pot of posies is a nice touch for the front steps — too bad it has toppled over.

This is a near miss...wish that it hadn't been a ~whoosh~ because the banking in front of the farmhouse is loaded with all manner of flowers, both garden and wild. The homeowners are working on painting so I may have to return and take another photo in autumn.

The turning point where we stopped for ice cream — blueberry for me, butter pecan for John. See the lake in the background? (I never tire of John's distinctive profile. Folks in his clan often share one like it. People say, "You've got to be an Ess because you look just like...")

For the barn lovers...

  

This sort of landscaping is most common...neat and tidy enough, perhaps a bit overgrown for some tastes.

A country cemetery, no outer gate or sign so it may be privately owned...

I am keeping a promise with a picture of this red barn: Row 2 number 1.

Wending our way home...

 Our valley looking west... I have often shown our valley looking east...wouldn't want you to be confused. ☺

Clouds gathering...

 A neat farmhouse just on the edge of town...

While out driving, I received an "urgent" call from my sister. She and her husband had left six hours earlier to drive to the cottage in Canada. Unfortunately, they were turned back at Canadian Customs and were now wondering what to do. So John and I stopped by for a quick visit with "the kids." We were putting our heads together trying to come up with solutions for Sis. Nothing like a bit of drama. More about that tomorrow!

Anyway, the grands were so cute sitting just outside their Auntie's (my daughter's) apartment. The oldest soon started making noises about how concerning the approaching storm was to him and so got us all rustled safely on our way before the thunderstorm began in earnest.

And that will do it for drive-bys for a while. I do enjoy them, but am not used to posting soooo many photos. ;D

A happy mid-week to you!

Tea Cup Exchange

Stephanie had a lovely idea to host a Tea Cup Exchange and I decided to participate. Though I've been blogging for some time now, it was a first for tossing my cap into an exchange. What fun it was! 

My tea cup soon arrived from Gina of Sweetbriar Cottage along with a sweet friendship note and extras.

The package was so sweetly decorated that I turned it right around and used it to send along a tea cup to my recipient. Recycling at its best and, yes, I am a titch lazy.

~my lovely tea cup and gifts~

~my tea cup's new home~

~I plan to make a new header from this photo~

The day was so gloriously perfect yesterday that I took my book and tea cup to the deck where the light was good and where I finished the last few pages of my reading. Now this is a generously sized tea cup...lots of room for extra tea.

~showing the graceful handle~

Thank you, Gina. It's a beauty! And thank you for the sweet extras. 

Thanks, too, to Stephanie for organizing the whole thing. ☺♥☺

Edited to Add: To see what other gals received, follow along at *Tea Cup Reveal.*

I was glad for the roses on my tea cup because the only thing blooming out on the deck otherwise is the pot of Kalanchoe. Even the dahlias are waterlogged.

~~~~~

As promised, a couple more photos of our Sunday drive. (Am I giving it away yet that I'm trying to load up for the Note Card Party on the 21st? I think I'll piggyback on Donna's idea and do water for August. I have so many photos...over 300! And they are not all going to waste. Ha! Besides, Donna would not like to wade through all that water for her challenge.)

~too pedestrian; I'm not using it. ☺ ~

~little country church~

Would you ever participate in an exchange? Have you? What was exchanged? (Blogdom is always a delightful exchange of ideas, that's for certain.)

Happy Tuesday to you! 

Moving Right Along

No, that title has no double meaning. I am not leaving blogging and I am not going anywhere...merely feeling chatty again. (You poor things.)

Yesterday started out in sun and ended in storms — again! 

The morning glory is growing like crazy, yet has not one bloom on it. In former years and by now, it would be loaded with flowers. It must have something to do with this crazy summer. I also read that it could be too much nitrogen in the soil, though I can't imagine how the soil has a nutrient left in it after all this rain.

The drift roses are another story. They bloom and bloom and bloom. There are even three bouquets of them in the house. 

~for Auntie~

Oddly enough, there are still a few day-lilies to finish out. They are usually spent by mid-July.

The dragonfly's iridescent wings intrigued me. I don't think I've ever looked at things the same way since I started taking pictures.

After church, John and I needed coffee in the worst way so had to take a trip to Tim Horton's to pick up our monthly supply. While there, we had soup and a sandwich and then went on a slow drive to the lake. (Note this month's photo challenge in my sidebar.)

 ~too pedestrian...I won't be using it~

I also took a lot of those drive-by shots that I love to do, but that don't come out so great. I'll be showing them sometime this week. Here's a teaser.

So typical of a New England farmhouse — the attached shed between the house and the barn. It is a practical way to avoid being out in a blizzard when heading for the barn or the privy. 

What I like about drive-by photos is that one always finds a surprise later. I wasn't paying much attention to the porch and the colorful chairs, even a child-sized one. They were a bonus! I'd love to sit there on the swing and watch the world go by.

                

Tomorrow, I'll be sharing my part in the tea cup exchange, plus perhaps toss in a few more drive-bys.

A happy Monday to you... 

Flowers~Mosaic Monday

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine for the soul. 

~Luther Burbank

Ahhhh, Luther...haven't thought of him in years, but remember reading his biography long ago. He must have been very happy indeed to work with flowers all of his life. He once crawled on hands and knees through his greenhouse sniffing each flower for the exact one that was giving off a sweet perfume. He found it!

~the lavender and the phlox smelled heavenly~

Had to tuck my grandson into this collage as he was having such a grand time sniffing flowers and wading through the tall grass.

Linking to Mary at Little Red House. If you've never participated in Mosaic Monday, it is a lot of fun to create a collage or a mosaic and to see what the other participants are doing. Why not join us?

1 Corinthians 13:11~Maturity

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

~1 Corinthians 13:11

With all respect to St. Paul — that apostle to the Gentiles and the one entrusted with mysteries kept in the mind of God from the beginning of the world — I don't know if I'm ready to grow up. 

 ~Pinterest~

A couple of conversations with my grandsons (who are 7 and 6) have taught me that they may be older than I am. One no longer wishes to discuss if that's Toby (from Thomas and Friends) in the lower field there; the other looked at me most quizzically when I described bits of mica as mirrors for the fairies. You take a bunch of concrete thinkers and toss in a fruit loop like me and there's a conversation!☺ 

A blessed day to you...

After the Rain

With few exceptions, most of this summer so far has been measured before the rain, after the rain, in the rain. I railed against it mightily for weeks. In the end, I might miss the cozy comforts of a daily rainy time, though I'd like to enjoy a few sunny days without wondering when the storms will find us.

I heard a Georgia farmer on the news the other day lamenting all the water that has ruined his crops. He said that in a drought he could irrigate his fields, but in a wet season there is nothing to be done — he can't take water away. There really can be too much of a good thing.



From my perch in the corner recliner...I had just scrubbed the deck with Oxi*lean before the rain...the world outside looks clean and exceptionally green.

Judy at My Front Porch says that she has recently learned that bloggers are never supposed to show the same thing twice.(Do check out what she's showing again.) I told her that I'd be sunk. Not only do I show things over and over, I do it in the same post. This is for those who always want a bigger view. Nothing's changed: same old, same old. That sofa may be calling me.

Anyway, the garden has seemed pretty happy, the lawns, too, the Japanese beetles are positively giddy and the slugs are taking over the world. Yes, I'm convinced, that sofa is calling me.

So where are you in the spectrum? Too much rain? Too little? Just right?

A happy weekend to you...

Sewing and Snow Falls Revisited

Sis arrived Wednesday morning with two 6'x9' painter's cloths from Lowe's, a yard of accent fabric, and creme horns.

I already had Sewing Central set up.

We soon set to ripping and tearing and ten hours later we were done. Ten hours? Don't ask. (We work slow. We did a whole lot of fiddle flipping. We are a bizarre combination of perfectionistic and to heck with it. If we were being perfectionistic, we'd say, "It's for the cottage." If being cavalier, "It's only for camp.")

Somewhere along the way, Sis decided she'd like a valence and the valence just lent itself to a bit of trim.

This is the final result. I should add that these curtains will be used for the bedroom doors at the cottage. Both husbands wished to know why regular doors should not be purchased. Perhaps one day they will be. For now, Sis will do it the old-fashioned way — a curtain as it has always been.

Edited to add: Oh, and I made tie-backs as well. I tried some piping. Now that was so much fun that I feel like piping everything. 

~*~*~

Thursday was a corker of a day. The main stars were the youngest grand, the gorgeous clouds, and Snow Falls. 

We all had fun picnicking, going on a treasure hunt, launching boats, and taking a little hike.  

~Jake and John on the bridge at Snow Falls~

The day ended at the ice cream stand as all lovely days do.

Perhaps your first August weekend will find you at an ice cream stand, too!