IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN...

... and it ain't gonna' change!!

I ran into a former high school pal the other day.  Joey G. was doing a little work in front of the old local Elementary School building which was re-purposed a number of years ago although I'm never quite sure of its new purpose.  It was an opportunity for us to catch up a bit so we sat and chatted for a few minutes.

During our chat, I questioned him about the building and what was happening with it.  That led to an entire conversation about several old buildings in town that are either standing vacant or are being used but are all in serious need of renovation.  There are a few architecturally interesting buildings right downtown.  Several of the old storefronts have been re-purposed as new shop storefronts or offices.  Others have been torn down.  To the town's credit, there have been a few improvements along the railroad track that divides the town so it is far more attractive and functional, but they are primarily cosmetic in a landscaping context.

What Joey and I finally determined, however, was that the town's motto should be: "It's not going to happen and it ain't gonna' change!"  He informed me of the plethora of discussions that had taken place over the years regarding what to do with some of the buildings about which we were talking.  He also told me that some of the purposes he and I thought would be good ideas had been struck down by many in the past.  Not that we are the world's most fabulous city planners... but we were at least thinking outside of the box!  Without anyone willing to try something, it is guaranteed that nothing will happen.  Sigh.  So be it.  I think our suggested motto hits the nail on the head.

On another note entirely, I was at my friend's (Susan S.) home the other day.  She grows a few herbs including dill.  She was very excited to show me the little "visitors" that had taken up residence on the dill plants.  I thought they were VERY cool and that you might want to see them, too!  Please meet the Black Swallowtail butterfly family's young'uns!

The good news today is that we have had two lovely, consecutive days with rain!! YAY!!!  Hopefully that will perk things back up that had begun looking just a bit droopy from the heat and the dryness.  Always good to get rain during the hot months.

Thank you for staying with me and reading!!

Until next post...

MEMORIAL DAY - THANKS TO MANY

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!  Happy Memorial Day and remember what it signifies, please.  Take a moment to reflect on those who have given so much.

Nothing really exciting has happened lately so I'm a little limited on things about which to post.  That leaves you with some photos from my morning walks.  If you don't have a walk in your routine, please think about incorporating one.  It doesn't have to be every day.  Just every now and again so you can see some things you would miss driving by.

ONE DAY = ONE ROTATION

AN EARLY START GETS A PEEK AT THE MOON!

ANOTHER "MOON SHOT" AS ANOTHER DAY BEGINS

THE SUN FIGHTS TO CLIMB ABOVE THE LOW CLOUDS

THE SUN PEEKING BETWEEN THE TREES

A FOGGY MORNING TURNS THE SUN INTO THE MOON!!

LIVING THINGS SEEN... OR UNSEEN...

LOOK CLOSELY TO SEE MY LITTLE COTTONTAIL PAL

SO... WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS?

CAN'T SEE THE SPIDERS... BUT THESE ARE DEFINITELY WEBS!

SERIOUSLY!  IS THIS STUFF EVER GOING TO STOP GROWING!!!

GOTTA' LOVE A JUNGLE-THEMED MUSHROOM!

DETAIL VIEW

WHO DOESN'T LOVE A PUPPY?!?!?!?

You all remember my aunt's next-door-neighbor, Susan L., who does a huge amount of work with the local Humane Society.  She has always been so sweet about bringing some of the shelter dogs that are undergoing heartworm treatment, etc., to visit with my aunt.  Occasionally, the shelter takes in puppies as they did recently.  Someone dropped off four pups, "Schnorkies", which are apparently a Schnauzer/Yorkie cross.  Who cares?  This little fella' proves that mix makes for adorable puppies!!  Only four weeks old, he entertained us for quite a while with his puppiness.  :)  Who can resist that face?

I thank you all for continuing to visit!!  I realize there have not been a lot of exciting posts lately but I promise I am always looking for an opportunity!!  Oh!!  And a reminder to you all to check those expiration dates when you are shopping. The photos below were taken on May 10, 2012.

UNPLANNED PURCHASES READY AND WAITING FOR YOU!

OOPS!  CHECK THAT EXPIRATION DATE!!

Be safe on this holiday.

Until next post...

SPRING HAS REALLY SPRUNG

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!  Has it really been since Tax Day since I posted?  Oh my!  That's too long.

A lot of what I have been doing has been outdoors.  It is Spring, after all, and most of you know how much I like to dig in the dirt!  With that said, I am going to post a lot of photos I have been taking since my last post.  None are stellar, by any means... but I hope you can enjoy the intent.  :)

TIRE GARDENING BEGINS IN EARNEST!!!

LOOK CLOSELY FOR THE ITTY-BITTY MEYERS LEMONS!!

IF THE BIRDS DON'T GET THE BLUEBERRIES, MAYBE I WILL!

THE NEW HIBISCUS IS OFF TO A GOOD START

YEAR THREE FOR THE HOSTAS IN CONTAINERS

FIRST BLOOM ON A NEW DAYLILY

ANOTHER NEW DAYLILY

A THIRD NEW DAYLILY

THE FUNGUS AMONGUS CONTINUES TO GROW!!!

WHAT IS THIS STUFF EATING?!?!?!?!?!?!?

A MORNING WALK, FOG, THE SUN PEEKS OUT, AND I JUST GOT LUCKY TO HAVE THE BIRDS FLYING ACROSS.  SERENDIPITY.

 So that is really all I have for you today.  This is just a small preview of the fun I have been having in the dirt this Spring.  I hope you have had the opportunity to get out there and dig around, too!  If you haven't yet, make the time.  You'll be glad you did.

Until next post...

SIGN, SIGN, EVERYWHERE A SIGN...

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!  Some of you are old enough to "get" the Title of this post.  Others... just Google those words as typed.

Signs.  There are lots of signs.  Some are quite obvious and explain something to you.  The old Burma-Shave signs were ALWAYS fun to read and millions of people knew exactly what Burma-Shave was due to those signs along the highways and byways.  Others are not necessarily written but are still signs.  Signs of spring.  The "high sign" exchanged between those in-the-know.  I have gathered some photos that demonstrate a few different types of signs and thought perhaps I would share them with you.

SIGNS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HUH???"  (Just read them.  I have no comments.)

READ THE NEXT-TO-LAST LINE ON THIS ONE

Then there are those UNWRITTEN SIGNS.  I have a couple of those to share with you today.

Two weeks and a HUGE amount of rain are indicated by fungus amongus!!!

I took these off at 8:30 a.m. after my morning walk.  This photo was taken at 3:30 p.m. that same day, a clear sign that nesting time has definitely arrived!!

For information on the Bewick's Wrens that were building that "shoe-nest", click here.  I have had them build nests in a watering can and a bird house that was really only for aesthetics!  I didn't think the shoes would be a target since I had them leaning against the side of the house.  Yes... the toes were actually pointing upward!!  Maybe it was the socks... ???

Then, there are signs of frivolity and renewal.  A recent "mini-vacation" provided some of each.

So many beautiful things to see on an early morning walk in Fredericksburg!  A short stay at our MOST favorite B&B, the Lillie Marlene, was just perfect to rejuvenate.

That's really all there is today.  It's more about the "signs" I have enjoyed in the past month or so than my babbling.  :)

If you have photos of any signs you find interesting, amusing, or "huh?-worthy", please send them to me.  Let me know if I can credit you for them.  I would love to share them!!

Updates on this year's Tire Garden to come! Planting took place this weekend!

Until next post...

BUCKET LIST REVISIT!! 03-16-2012 PART TWO

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Pals!!  Sorry to leave you with a cliff-hanger... but I had already gone on too long.  :)

So... YES!!  We waited about an hour and a half while the powers-that-be figured it all out and watched them finally pull our beautiful ride out of the mud.  The crew checked everything out thoroughly, determined there was no damage, and we were finally back on the aircraft!!  The engines started up for the second time that day!!

We taxied and turned onto the runway.  The pilots ran up each engine to its max until all four were roaring.  The entire plane was vibrating and you could feel it wanting to be let loose into the sky!!  It was amazing!!  Finally, we took off and banked left for our ride!

Once we were up, the Loadmaster motioned that we could unbuckle and wander about the aircraft.  He didn't have to tell me twice!!!  I was outta' that belt and scrambling toward the cockpit like a chicken on a June bug!!  (Yes, that's the side of my head at the lower right of the photo below.)  We did reach a pretty good altitude although I couldn't really tell you what it was.  I was so busy exploring the aircraft, I'm afraid I didn't spend much time looking OUT of the windows!

When I finally realized I should allow some others into the cockpit, I made my way back, over the bomb bay doors, through the radio "room" where we had been buckled in for take-off, and across the gunnery area where the side gunners' machine guns and belts were laid out and reached the rear of the plane.  My new excellent friend, the Loadmaster, kindly allowed the spousal-unit to take our picture together.  He was a sweetheart and just "loads" of fun.

Apparently there is a lake somewhere near Jasper, Texas although neither I nor the spousal-unit even knew we were flying over one!  We saw it in the pictures when we viewed them later!  He was pointing and clicking out windows without real regard for exactly what he was shooting.  That always seems to work well for him.

One of the good things about our delay in getting off the ground was that two of our other "riders" were not able to remain until it was time to take off.  While I am sorry they missed the ride, we were honored to be able to bring along a WWII Navy veteran, Ken Fling, when we finally got going.  I got his address and forwarded the picture below and another one to him.  Remember to always thank any veteran for their service, please?  We owe them such an incredible amount.

While we were in the air for about 40 minutes, it all ended WAY too soon for me!  I would have stayed up there until we ran out of fuel!  But... as all good things, it came to an end.  We were given certificates in a lovely red folder as proof we had actually made the trip.  One of the crew was kind enough to take a quick picture for us under the nose of the beautiful bird we had been so incredibly fortunate to have flown in.  This is definitely one to remember.  The flight and the kindness of the spousal-unit in making it happen will remain with me as long as I live!!

That's all I have about this.  It was just amazing.

Until next post...