My favorite flowers to photograph

are in my parent's yard. When I go out early to take pictures of dew and mist and raindrops, these delightful blooms by my parent's basement are all closed up tightly. While they still take a good picture, this is the way I love to photograph them. I really like the juxaposition of the peeling paint on the porch post and the vibrancy of the flower.

Sister Beth and I went to a few yard sales this past weekend. There were not many listed in the paper this time but we still found a few good ones. The first one we stopped at was just a few doors from a bakery. Oh, did the donuts smell delicious! But we resisted and went on our way after exploring the sale. We both came home with some nice clothing from one sale. The lady had lost weight and was selling her previous wardrobe in several sizes. Fantastic prices for good quality clothing. Most of the rest I bought will be for VBS next year.

I did NOT buy a single picture frame this past weekend. But I did work with my photgraphs and the frames I already have and have now hung a number of photographs on my bedroom walls. I have collages of Queen Ann's Lace in one multiple frame and of dew-spangled spiderwebs in another. Funny, I don't like spiders at all but I love the pictures of the webs.

The kittens are 14 weeks old now and are starting to walk like cats instead of kittens. There is a swagger to their stride now whereas before they bounced and teetered along. DH has taken on some of the feeding duties to help the kits bond more closely with him. It seems to be helping especially with Tig-Tig who will settle down on the footrest of DH's recliner.

Yard Sale Treasures

Sister Beth and I went to yard sales again today and did we have fun. As we were leaving the neighbor up the street was walking to the neighbor across the street as they were also going to the sales. We met up with them at about 4 of the sales we hit. And of course we ran into other people we regularly see at yard sales, too. I came home with 3 more picture frames, a nice acid-free photo album that will hold 8x10 photos, more tins for putting the glass picture balls in for Christmas, a bread-machine recipe book (I am always looking for more bread recipes), more things for VBS next year including a battery powered bird in a cage that sings and moves (I think we will have to set up a booth just for the birds next year), 6 king-sized flat sheets that have never been used for only $1 each, ... and the above-pictured cat habitat ... for only $2.

I brought the thing in the house and put it where the smaller of the two NIC crates I built was positioned. As you can see, all 5 cats were delighted with the new addition. Spot is the one on top of it all, momma Stormy and Velcro are the next level down, Tig-Tig is on the bottom inside and Smoke is creeping around the outside (he looks so small in this picture but he is actually bigger than momma Stormy. All the blue stuff you see on the floor is shredded pool noodle. They love the pool noodles for scratching and I am constantly cleaning up the floor around the crates. I have a length of noodle attached from floor to the top level of the larger crate and they have almost clawed it in half. It is hard to believe the kits are 13 weeks old now. Barb keeps me up-to-date on what Shamus is doing and says she is just as rotten as my three.

Sister Beth and I filled the car today with all our treasures. She carried her last purchase on her lap on the way home as we had no more room in the trunk or the back seat (we could have turned the cat habitat around and started filling it up with smaller items but we were both tired and decided to call it a day. She did get some larger items today too like the wicker plant stand and basket and the shopping bags of yarn she found. DH is very patient and long-suffering about my yard sale finds. He watches as I unpack and describe each item and what I intend to do with them and makes appropriate sounds at intervals ... he does not understand the attraction of the yard sales but does like the savings on things like the cat habitat (around $30 in stores) and the king-size sheets.

Update

DH had his prostate surgery on Monday. We were at the hospital from 5:30 am until after 3:30 pm. All went well with the radioactive seed implantation. The actual procedure only took about an hour then he was in recovery for a while then was taken down to the cancer center for more scans to be certain everything was where it should be. Then he was told to walk and drink and walk and drink so they could be sure the bladder was working before they would discharge him. So we walked, and walked, and walked, and walked. He kept telling me I could go sit down with Mom and Dad and did not have to walk with him but I told him if he was walking, I was walking. It took about 4 hours to satisfy the cancer center people that he was emptying his bladder satisfactorily. We stopped and ate on the way home then went to the pharmacy for Rx for him then home. The next morning we went back to the cancer center at 8 am for a re-check of things then he was released to come home with more Rx and take it easy for a few days instructions.

So then I collapsed. Probably just the stress of worrying about him and pushing so hard at work the week before to get as much done as possible so I would not feel guilty for taking this whole week off. I spent most of Wednesday and Thursday in bed with a slight fever and internal upsets. Back to normal now.

So this is the first time I have even been on the computer all week. I have tried today to check in on everyone's blogs just to see what you have all been up to while I was "away".

Oh, yes. We have not put the kits away at night all week either. They have not been crated at all since we got back from the cancer center on Tuesday. They are enjoying their freedom immensely. Once we settle down for the night we have a few problems with feet moving under blankets (Spot especially likes to attack feet) and have learned to keep an extra multi-folded sheet on the bed to help protect our toes. During the night we are sometimes aware of little bodies bouncing across the bed and creeping up the sides but for the most part they are good little kittens and bother the adult cats more than us.

Summer Colds

Long time no post. Didn't even get a post in about last Saturday's yard sales. DH and I have both been down with summer colds - right before DH's scheduled surgery, of course.

Beth and I did go yard saleing on Saturday and I came home with ---- more picture frames! I picked up two large frames (really large) and a few smaller ones at various sales and also got some plastic display cases DH can put some of his model cars in. There are supposed to be some more good yard sales tomorrow if the rain holds off and some are rain or shine sales. These late season sales are surprising me.

Cousin Barb says the vet has told her Shamus is a girl kitty. So I am even more confused about the 3 I have left. Actually only Tigger is still a question. Based on pictures on-line I know Velcro is female and am 99% certain of Spot. But Tig's fur around the (ahem) posterior and determined squirming doesn't allow a clear view of the questionable area. I am leaning toward female since Shamus has been declared female but am still not certain. It doesn't really matter either except for future surgery purposes.

DH called the doctor's office when he got sick and was told the cold should not interfere with the prostate surgery as he should be mostly recovered by then. We are hoping this is the case as we both scheduled ourselves off work next week. DH will have the radioactive seed implantation on Monday if all goes well. It is out-patient surgery and he should come home that night then we have to go back the next day for more checking that everything is where it should be and working well. Then we wait and see what his PSA is in a few months and what complications develop. Everyone says things should be fine but I always worry about the unexpected.

I haven't even been out to take any pictures this week since I was down with my cold. I admired the sky and clouds going to and from work but once in the house did not feel like going back out with the camera.

And I have been carless this week, too. DH's car has been the shop for extensive repair and he borrowed mine last week and broke it, too. The tensionor? that holds the serpentine belt that powers everything that needs power broke on Friday. We got it fixed this week but because the shop uses "only genuine GM parts" we had to wait for the part to come in and I only got the car back yesterday evening. So his car is still sitting at the repair shop awaiting a few more paydays (repairs almost as much as the car is worth!) and our wonderful brother-in-law loaned DH his car for the past week. We are very grateful to him for doing this. It would have been extremely difficult for DH to get to work and home again otherwise.

It won't matter too much about vehicles next week as we should be home after DH's surgery and Dad takes me to and from work as needed here in town. Dad is also going to be providing transportation home from the hospital after DH's surgery and back and forth the next day as his vehicle is much more suitable to DH's tender condition. Dad has a Tahoe and DH can get up into it rather than down into a car.

Fare Thee Well, Shamus

Last night cousin Barb came and picked up Shamus to take him to his new home. So far no one has taken over the job of rushing out the back door when I let the dogs in or out. It is 1/4 quieter and fewer toes are being bitten and swatted. I now only have to count to 3 when accounting for kittens. We will miss the little fella.

But he is going to a good home and will be well-loved and spoiled. Barb's neighbor's little girl will be there often to play with him and he will have his own crate and a new scratching/climbing pole (as soon as Barb assembles it). And two very adult cats to keep him in line.

So, fare thee well, my little one.

Grey Pearls

I took this shot yesterday morning and did not discover its fascination until this morning.

This past weekend was interesting. Sister Beth and I went to a reunion for the school we attended before we were all transferred to a consolidated high school. We were among the last students to attend the old school but graduated from the new consolidated school. It was interesting being the "babies" at our age. The graduates were celebrating graduations that had occurred as much as 75 years earlier and the last graduating class was in 1968. We were considered to be class of '69. There were only 6 or 8 of us in this group but there were over 150 people at the reunion including one lady who came all the way from Florida to attend. It was a good meal and lots of laughter and we saw people we rarely see anymore.

I have been letting my hair grow longer and Jen wanted to "play" with it for the reunion. Now I have had naturally curly hair since childhood. I have a few pictures of me as a very young child with straight hair but nothing beyond the first few grades of school. Jen straightened my long hair. Curly it reaches below my shoulders. Straight it was about mid-back. It was an interesting experience to have long straight hair. I kept saying it felt like baby-doll hair it was so smooth and silky. I still have to assimilate this experience.

We did go yardsaleing again on Saturday too. I got MORE picture frames including two that have owl pictures in them. I used to collect owls like crazy but not so much anymore. These however may get to keep their frames and be hung on the walls as long as I find a place they won't be staring at my husband all the time. This past weekend was probably the end of the good yard sales for the season. There may be a few more in September but it will be nothing like during the summer months.