So Many Mixed Emotions

I took this picture of a flower on my Fushia plant hanging on the front porch. I took it on Wednesday, during a brief downpour, when the sun suddenly poked through the clouds and cast a little "spotlight" on the dripping flower. It was just so beautiful!

I had company on Tuesday. A friend came with two of her daughters. Cindy is an amazing woman...mother of eight, yes eight!, children! She came with her second youngest, as well as an older daughter who is expecting her first baby! I met the older girl (only 23) at a luncheon we had for a bunch of us soap making friends a couple of years ago. (Emily had come with her mom.) I do have photos from our day and will hopefully blog about this when I get the new blog set up. (it is getting very close!)

Cindy and the girls left our house at about 7:15 on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday morning, while listening to the news, I heard about a terrible accident that occurred Tuesday night at about 10 pm. Five young girls who just graduated from high school were in an suv, driving to a cottage on the lake. Apparently, the driver oversteered into the oncoming lane after passing another car. She crashed into an 18-wheeler and both vehicles were instantly engulfed in flames.
The driver of the semi was unhurt, and his attempt to try to save the girls in the suv was futile. All five girls were killed.

Mark and the kids and I had to go out today. On our way home, we could not miss the scene where the girls lost their lives....a car in the opposite lane had its headlights on a small memorial that has been made in tribute to the girls. An older man and woman were adding their own flowers. This had such an impact on Mark and me...a grim reminder of just how fragile this life is, no matter what our age is.

On a happy note, yesterday, Ben called to me up by the house as he was down near the road. He kept yelling something about "deer"! What in the world? I walked around the house, and I instantly saw what he was so excited about! A little fawn was walking along one of our paths. It looked so tiny! As I edged nearer and nearer, it looked quite tentative, then suddenly darted forth, springing as though it was "launched" into the woods. I did indeedy have my camera, but that fawn was F-A-S-T! I was sorry to miss the opportunity to capture the little one on the camera, but when one sees these little woodland creatures, there is a sense of having seen something almost "forbidden".....

Wordless Wednesday....

What Ever Happened to Relaxing Weekends?

Well, perhaps that isn't the right question. Perhaps I should be asking why did I marry a man whose list of projects (far) surpasses my own? I used to tease that Mark would make a great project engineer, as, if the company he worked for ever ran out of jobs, he could invent a whole new list! I usually don't mind extra activities, but sometimes I just want to do some things I want to do!

Ah well....Mark kept the kids busy today....not so much me!

I made a really great dinner with a recipe for a cauliflower side dish. It was really easy, and the result was a casserole that tasted very much like scalloped potatoes. Michelle can be picky, but she gave me kudos for the "best cauliflower, ever!" Ah, accolades every now and then are so rewarding, eh? The greatest reward was, however, an empty dish at dinner's end!

I had planned to take a lot of pictures today, but it just didn't happen....

So, here is one that is a bit blurry, but kind of cute......

See the tiny little chipmunk hiding in the weeds? You can see the stripes on its back on the left side of the picture, and a little black eye peering through the greenery!

This is one of the peonies in my front lawn. They need to be transplanted to a sunnier site, but I keep forgetting to do this! These peonies are really special, as my dad gave me the plants, and he got them from his mother, my grandmother. She passed away in 1972, so these plants always remind me of her. I waited all afternoon, until the sun was shining *just so* on this plant. The photo is just as I took it with no "doctoring".

Tomorrow promises to be a bit easier, as we are traveling to meet my parents and brother, as it is my brother's birthday on Monday! I love traveling in the truck, so I look forward to these days.

Happy Sunday to all!

Prettying Up the Bristolwood

Last night, we had to go out for a bit. We have been thinking we might want to replace our hot water heater when we redo the kitchen, as it is 15 years old. When we spoke to a serviceman, he told us that hot water heaters are one of those appliances that can go in about 10 years.(more or less) He also told us that when they do go, well, they usually leave their homeowners with a big mess! After having an icemaker fail a couple of years ago, I never want to see another flood in the house again!

While we were out last night, we decided to look at water heaters at Lowe's. I saw that a water heater with a .8 rating would be eligible for a $300 tax credit, so I wanted to take a look at the tankless heaters. They run a little more expense wise, but save energy in the long run. They also are supposed to have a longer life than the tank models. Unfortunately, Lowe's was a bust, as there was no literature and no one was around to talk about the water heaters.

As we were making our way to leave, I told Mark I would like to visit the garden center before we left. I used to always hang several baskets of flowers on the front porch for the summer; since Mark's injury, I have been so busy with other things, I forget about flowers. So, as we looked around at all the colorful baskets and plantings, we decided to buy some.

This is a terrible picture, but the basket has Lobelia, tiny petunias, and a single Marigold!

I love Fushias so much, and these pink and white are my absolute favorite! I had seen a basket last week at Wegman's, but at $19.99, I just didn't think I could spend that much on a single basket. I am glad I waited, as Lowe's were less. Even though the basket isn't real huge, there are lots and lots of buds, so I know it will get bigger and fill out more.

Mark spotted this New Guinea Impatiens and I thought it was so pretty, too! Once again, this is small, but I know it will increase in size. Last year, I had one of these on the porch, and a silly Junco built a nest smack in the middle! I witheld water for weeks to the point where the thing looked so sorrowful....I actually blogged about it last summer!

I think these are Dianthus. It makes me upset when plants are sold without ID tags. I can never remember the instructions, so I leave the tags in a kitchen drawer until I figure them out! This little planter struck both Mark's and my fancy. It is just so pretty and *happy* looking!

The one thing we left without was a fountain. I saw one that I had admired in the store last year. It is rather simple one , but Mark said we need to think on it some more. I would love to have a water feature so hummingbirds could enjoy it, as well as other birds!

After our Lowe's experience, we stopped at Wegman's so I could grab some fresh produce. This is where I always get ours, as they seem to have the freshest produce of all the stores. As Michelle and I walked toward the store, they had so many colorful flowers in front of the store.

I just *had* to take a look.

As we perused, there were signs saying their big hanging baskets were $9.99. The price marked on them was $19.99. I looked and looked.......

When I saw this basket, it *really* caught my eye! The bright yellow daisies were just so very outstanding! AND, this basket had a sign poked into it saying it was the lesser price! I hung it on the shopping cart and Michelle giggled as I shopped throughout the store, pushing the cart with my elbows locked straight out in front of me!

This basket is hung on a shepherd's hook our neighbor fashioned for us a few years ago. It is bolted onto the back deck, and this big basket (almost 2 feet across!) is just so very perfect out there. The cheerful yellow flowers contrast so splendidly with the lush green hill behind the house!

Here is a closeup of the daisies. You can see how bright and beautiful they are!

This morning, as soon as my feet hit the floor, I raced downstairs and out the door. I stopped long enough to water all the new plants, then made my way to the garage. I was feeling rather smug about mowing the lawn before the sun came up! I had placed a latex glove on my hand with the injured finger so no dirt would get in.

I am a bit different in that no matter how hot I get, I do not sweat. Instead, my face glows an almost dangerous red color, and I feel overwhelmed by heat. (this is the reason why I am not fond of summer at all) Anyway, I think I may have discovered the secret to making myself sweat! When I completed the lawn, I anxiously removed the glove to discover my hand was so wet from sweat, it was dripping!!! Now, all I need is a latex *suit*!

This is a photo I took this afternoon of our cozy little porch, nestled snugly in the trees!

Is it Friday Yet?

No? Ugh. Friday cannot come soon enough this week! I need a vacation after our small vacation.

We arrived back home late on Monday afternoon. The kids were terrific about unloading the camper, and I am grateful for that. I stopped by the local Subway and bought subs for dinner, as I was whipped and making dinner just didn't sound too appealing.

I got up bright and early on Tuesday morning, feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep. I swept down the stairs, barely feeling the treads under my feet. I went out on the front porch, admiring all the beautiful flowers that had come into bloom whilst we were away. Ah, life is so good....

I came back inside and without even complaining, began washing the mountains of dishes that had strangely appeared while I slept....Hmmmm. Then, *it* happenend. I never saw such a freakish thing in my life....

I went to grab for a glass that needed to be washed. As I did so, a brand-spanking new knife I had *just* removed from its sheath the night before *spun around*, bludgeoning its grand point right into the tip of my middle finger of my left hand. I stood there, dumbfounded. After coming back to my senses, I grabbed paper towels and began to place pressure on the dripping fingertip. I think I used about half of the roll before it finally slowed down a bit.

Mark taped the finger shut and this worked well. Then, after about two hours, I wondered if it would tear open again when the tape was removed. So, we bandaged it once again. Drip, drip...you get the picture!

This morning, the finger was finally sealed shut and I placed a new bandage on it, making sure it was first bathed in Neosporin. Now, I have this terrible bulbous bandage on the end of my finger, driving me nuts and making me yell when I bump it on anything!

So, feeling very sorry for myself, I set out this afternoon with my camera, thinking a little walk would soothe my *feelings* if not my poor finger!


So, since my photo of a purple Columbine was a hit on Wordless Wednesday, I took a picture of a Columbine.

And, a whole *bunch* of Columbines.......


And my waning blue Columbines.........


My not-so-ordinary Columbines......

Wow! Look! My Begonia runneth over!

And Daddy Long Legs sitting atop a pretty Daisy!

As I walked in the woods, I was talking to Carly on the cell phone. Suddenly, something jumped up from the earthen floor........

I took about 20 pictures of this little darling, but each picture was worse than the one before it. This was such a total disappointment......

Oh, and to end this on a more upbeat note....My clever UPS man, Bob, has *just* the idea for me! He suggested that before I place my hands into the kitchen sink to wash dishes, I don a pair of Kevlar gloves!!!!

Allegany Pictures

This is the Stone Tower located in the Red House area of Allegany State Park. Ben overheard someone saying this structure was built over 100 years ago as a lookout for fires in the mountains.

Inside the Stone Tower.

Steps leading to the top of the Stone Tower.

It was drizzly and wet when I took this picture from atop the tower, but one can see that on a clearer day, it is possible to see for miles and miles!

Another view from the tower with the sky brightening up a bit! Vision was still somewhat limited.

As I was entering into one of my daydreaming states, admiring the beautiful scenery, I was rudely snapped to reality by the kids.....imploring I take *just* one picture of them......

As Ninjas, fighting atop the tower....and I thought *I* was the one with the vivid imagination?

As we were readying to leave the park, Mark pulled over onto a flat parking lot to make and adjustment to the hitch of the camper. As he and Ben worked, I grabbed the camera to take just a few parting shots. The above photo is a little island located in the Red House Lake.

Michelle standing on a beautifu pier made from stone for people to fish on the lake.

And lastly, a beautiful covered bridge located on one of the many bike paths located in the park.

Good bye, Allegany State Park. I do believe we will be returning once again to visit this stunningly beautiful gem!

Fish Fry Friday!

OK, so when we went on our little camping excursion, we were not too far away from the home of my parents. We were excited about seeing them, and getting together to have some fun!

My brother had taken off the week to help paint my parents' home, so my dad and brother worked during the day, but we were able to get together for some time in the evenings. This was so much fun, and I cannot think of a better way to visit! By staying in our camper, we would not impose on my parents at all. Although my mom is one of the most gracious hostesses I have ever met, I love staying in the camper so Mom isn't stuck with tons of laundry to wash, nor dishes piled to the ceiling!

So, on Friday night, my parents invited us to the Rod and Gun Club they belong to. This is a REAL highlight, as this particular club serves the most delicious haddock meal on Friday nights! I have never been a big fan of fish, but this fish is so mild and tender....thinking about it is making my mouth water!

We met for dinner and, once again, the meal was beyond description! What is even more appealing is the fact that as we left, the bill for our four dinners (all haddock) AND sodas, came to less than $33.00! Believe me, this is not a place that you leave feeling hungry!

After dinner, we spotted many Canada Geese with their goslings in tow, walking near the lake. We decided that I had better grab my camera.....

I will never tire of taking photos of these pretty birds. I have always loved Canada Geese, although I am told that in some areas of the country, they have become a terrible nuisance, causing people to grow rather angry with them! Ah well....

As the sun edged nearer and nearer to the western horizon, this group headed westward, ho! Notice the second little one...it was so tiny compared to the other goslings. I am convinced this little one was no gosling at all, but rather, perhaps a little mallard duckling! I mean, HOW could that teeny tiny baby be a sibling to those others?

After leaving my parents' home, we stopped at a supermarket to pick a couple of items. And, what should be *appearing* in the parking lot?

Yes, a dozen Mallards! What struck me most about this little band of beggars was that ten of these birds were male, with only two females. Hmmm....Anyway, I hadn't noticed the ducks as I went into the store. However, when I returned to the truck, Ben was outside with them, throwing "breadcrumbs"? at them.

It was only after I crawled into the truck and we were on our way that Mark told me Ben had gotten into Michelle's "doggie bag" and grabbed a handful of HER leftover fish to feed the ducks. Ben remarked that ducks *do* eat fish, after all!

Where We Have Been!

Last Thursday, we pulled out from our little home in the Bristolwood, and took off for Allegany State Park, in southwestern New York State. The above is a picture of our little home on wheels as it sat for the next few days.

We purchased our little camper four years ago, thinking it would be fun to be able to pull out and enjoy being away from home for a time. This was one of the best investments we ever made! When things feel as though they are about to "swallow us", it is so fabulous to be able to take off and spend a few days away from the heat of the situation! I have never been fond of spending time in a hotel/motel, but going out and getting into the great out-of-doors is just the ticket. Mark, growing up in a home where they spent time camping as a family, agreed one hundred percent!

Um...I would say that the kids rather enjoy camping as well. Michelle spent much of her time on the BlackJack, AIM'ing friends, but she also enjoyed getting out, as well. It was amazing. I grew up a short distance, relatively speaking, from this park, and never really enjoyed it as I should have! Everywhere we looked, there was an abundance of beauty!

Pretty Columbines!

I took a couple of pictures of Columbines the other day. I love the purple color...they remind me a great deal of the vibrant purple Irises I remember from my childhood. The other plants are ones that I planted many years ago, when we first built the house....




I do have one or two other varieties of Columbine that have not flowered yet. Not sure of their colors, but I also have a variety in the front of the house that I had never seen before. They look like pink with white snowballs! They are quite unique. When I bought them, I thought because they were so cool, they would never make it. What a surprise to find that they are taking over the plantings in their beds!

As I was walking along the stream bed, I noticed a bumble bee on the ground. I couldn't understand what this bee was doing....it moved sporadically, landing on rocks and burying itself in the ground under piles of leaves, then reemerging again!




May you enjoy this weekend! If you travel, please do so with great care....not everyone on the road is considerate! May you enjoy good company, good food, and good conversation. In the midst of the fun, please take a moment to remember those who have served this country and those who gave their lives that we might enjoy life as we know it!

Wordless Wednesday:

Can you guess what kind of flower this is?

I will give the answer in the comments....

Wildflowers, Technology, and Having Fun!

The pretty wildflowers are making their debut here in the Bristolwood, and I love their splashes of color here and there. The little wood violets are such a gorgeous shade of purple. They are showing up all over the woods and I love their bright green heart-shaped leaves!

My favorite time to photograph flowers is in the evening as the sun is heading off into the horizon. There is something especially beautiful about the sun shining through the flowers and playing upon leaves. Here, the sunlight highlights the darker shade of lavender in this wild geranium.

Today was a hurried day, starting out with an appointment to have our little camper inspected this morning. Although Mark always likes to plan ahead to make sure things are going to run smoothly, we were unable to check the electrical system before hitching onto the truck for the appointment. Luckily, all systems were go, and we were off in good shape!

We dropped the camper at the service center and then were off to a large fabric store. Michelle and Ben are planning a rather *unique* outing! They have some other home schooled friends that they met at the teen skates they attend. These kids are planning to go to the opening night of the showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. The catch is, the kids plan to make costumes and attend the movie as pirates! We spent a good deal of time looking at patterns and fabric, finally picking out some suitable for a couple of pirates! So, Michelle is anxious to get started on sewing! What a fun idea!

After the fabric store, we went to a nearby tile store to get some more ideas for our kitchen remodel. We found some gorgeous 24" square granite tiles that were simply terrific! While we were there, we got a call that the camper was ready so we rushed a little to get out of the store.

We will definitely be going back to this store, as they not only have tons of different types of tiles; they also have many displays highlighting various tiles in kitchen and bath settings. We were so excited to find this place, as the last place we visited, the guy was very negative and tried to make us feel incompetent of doing nearly any work ourselves!

Yesterday, we received delivery of our new kitchen stove! Am I excited? YES! Is it hooked up? NO! The delivery men from Sears aren't allowed to do an LP Gas changeover, so Mark and I will do it ourselves. So, we also picked up the plumbing supplies today for that job. I cannot wait to try out the new stove, as it has a convection fan in it to help cook faster and keep food more juicy, and it also is self-cleaning. My old Magic Chef left with the delivery guys yesterday, and I was as thrilled to see that stove depart as I was last week when the old refrigerator made its way out of the house!

So, after we got home this evening, Mark and the kids were hungry. What to do, what to do....I cannot cook or bake, as the new stove isn't connected yet. But wait! The camper!!! I made a quick trip out to the camper to turn on the gas....turned the furnace on (it was only about 38 degrees outside!) and turned the oven to 350 to preheat. I assembled the pizza in the kitchen, then took it to the camper and baked it! Mark was shocked....HOW can you bake in a little "camp oven"? Ah, I so love technology.

As the pizza was baking, I brought my camera out, along with my laptop. I decided to upload my pictures. As I worked, I couldn't help but feel so drawn to my cozy little camper. So much so, that I told Mark and the kids "so long", as I headed out to the camper with pillow and blankets in hand! Yes, Murphy and I are spending tonight in the camper! I so love it!

After uploading my pictures, I saw the battery was low, so I plugged in the charger and we are good to go! But, before I end, I just gotta show off my SD card for the Nikon! Mark knows I am easily dazzled by technology (I have earned the nickname "Technochick") so he bought me this

SD card, called a SanDisk Ultra II Plus. 2 Gig.

I can upload pictures in my card reader, or! the little card folds in half........

to expose its little USB reader! How cool is that? So, I can upload 2 ways with the card, as well as with a USB cable connected to the camera itself! Oh, I used the Olympus camera to take these last pictures just in case you might be wondering!

Isn't technology GRAND?

Here in the Bristolwood

This morning, I decided to take a little walk in the woods. I left the kids and the boys (Scotties) behind, as I was so hoping to perhaps see a little fawn in the woods. I have come upon fawns two or three times while walking, so it is a rare and treasured occasion. Unfortunately, I found none this morning. I did spot Doe, Re, Mi, and Fa grazing out in the front woods, but no babies there!

As I walked about in the woods, I was drawn to the areas of bright green foliage. The woods is filled with all sorts of new growth....grasses, ferns, (as pictured above) as well as mosses. The floor of the woods is mostly covered with brown leaves from last year, so the bright greens stand out, almost like neon colors.

This is the stump from an oak tree that Mark cut down several years ago. Just prior to our purchase of the property, this area suffered from a rather severe ice storm; there was 3/4" of ice built up on everything. (This was in March of 1991) Many of the trees on the property fell over as the weight of the ice uprooted them. Mark was reluctant to cut the trees, but they were dangerously teetering in the air. Mark decided that since he had to sever the trees from their stumps, he would make a mill to cut the first 10' of the trees into lumber. This way, he didn't feel so guilty about harvesting the trees. Using them in their entirety for firewood struck him as almost sacrilegious. He and our neighbor fashioned a great sawmill (our neighbor is a gifted welder!) and Mark set off to work! Thus, we now have many, many board feet of red oak!

As I made my way down from the woods, I spotted my one of my little Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds on the feeder. I have been trying to get a picture, with no luck. I raced into the house and stood in front of the window, hoping against hope that I would be able to catch the little hummer. If only I had a telephoto lens with a smaller f-stop! Ah well, you can certainly see that this is a hummingbird, and you can see the white ring around its neck!

Yesterday, we celebrated Mother's Day by meeting my parents and my brother at our favorite restaurant. We had to stand in line for more than an hour for a table, but as always, the food was so wonderful, and well worth the wait! The picture above is my Mother's Day bouquet from Mark and the kids. The "vase" is a mug with the Buffalo Sabres logo on it. Which leads me to say....I have not spoken about round three of the playoffs as the Sabres are behind in both games played thus far. The first game, the other team (Ottawa) really did outplay us. It was as though the Sabres just didn't have their feet! The second game, in my opinion, was won by Ottawa because of poor refereeing. I know, one might say I am biased, but so many people felt the same way as they watched the Sabres take illegal trips and punches. The Sabres are known for being a small and fast team. Unfortunately, most other hockey clubs look like giants, comparatively speaking...

More Geese!

Today, we took the kids to one of their favorite places...Darien Lake Park and Resort. I think that is the name now. It was previously Darien Lake Six Flags. Anyway, it is an amusement park, and the kids love it so! We left the house this morning around 9:30, thinking our lightweight sweaters and jackets would suffice. Brrrr! Were we ever WRONG!

As the kids raced from ride to ride, I sat out on benches, seeking some sun to warm my body! As we came to the end of our outing, I spotted two Canada Geese with their little ones near a small pond. I had left my new camera home as I was unsure how I was going to fare with a new medication I am taking. I did grab the Olympus, so I was able to get some pictures.

Although I only captured one adult goose in my pictures, there were indeed, two. I would love to know if the adults were the parents of the little ones. I am sure the female stays with her chicks, but I wonder if the male remains with the family as well. The goose that I pictured seemed rather at ease as I came within maybe six feet of them. The other goose, however, hissed at me a couple of times. SinceI have owned geese in the past, I do know to keep a respectable distance, and also when to retreat!

Aren't those goslings the cutest little babies? I so wanted to just touch one!!!

We ended our day at the park with Ben riding the "Superman". It is a rather (unnerving for me) large roller coaster that thrills kids to no end! On the way there, we passed some lilac bushes that called out to passers-by to come and smell them. They had a rather delicate lilac scent, and the color was so beautiful....