I received a packet in the mail recently.  It was from my sister, Maggie.  She is the youngest of four siblings.  Here’s a pic with both of us in it, which was taken the day after Christmas in 1992.

Barbara, Maggie, our Mom, Clara and Chuck (me)

In Maggie’s note she said: “You’ve been putting a lot of sky pictures on your blog.  Here is a sample of what I see from my [6th floor] living room.  Enjoy.

This gal lives in the city.  The state capital, no less.  Seems to me that the only thing missing in her shots that I see in mine are silos and cattle.  What do you think?

Thanks Maggie for sharing these beautiful photos that you took from your living room.  Can you believe that I used to feel sorry for you living in the city as you do?  But then, I haven’t visited your new digs yet.  I know . . . you told me it was nice.  Well, now I believe.  I truly do.  Perhaps others will too once they’ve seen these photos.  Love you Sis.

Yesterday was a nearly perfect day for garden work.  Sylvia started early in the morning and soon had more than a little to show for her efforts.  This is our first attempt to raise eggplant, and conditions have been near perfect.  Can you believe the size of that purple monster?  I’m talking about the eggplant.  She harvested two more, which were the same size.  We’ve never before had cabbages ready by August first.  She harvested two of those.  Then there were the zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and green beans.

As I carried the bounty into the kitchen, Sylvia started picking green beans.  She picked a fine batch of them too.  Soon, they’ll go in the steamer and provide a delectable side dish for a meal.

This is the first year for the garden in the new location.  Last year, I killed grass and weeds with Roundup.  It helped a lot.  We don’t use chemicals during the growing season, but it was sure nice to have a relatively pristine garden this year.

The new location is much closer to the house, which makes it easier to visit–or to see with a quick look out a window.  It is also easier to keep it watered, and we had to do that quite a bit earlier this year.  Because the new location is on higher ground and is sloped, it drains better in heavy rain.  (The old location was low and in the path for runoff from the neighbor’s field.)  The soil is also lighter, having less clay and more loam.

It takes work, but it sure is wonderful to eat fresh produce from our own garden.  We love it!  How does eggplant stir-fry sound to you?  Just thinking . . . 😀

In cooperation with:

It was over two weeks ago that heavy rain and high wind brought an end to our drought.  It was Saturday, July 14.  As we looked out the window, it appeared that we had escaped any serious damage.  We were grateful for the rain.

At church on Sunday, Sylvia and I heard reports of damage around the neighborhood.  Several trees had been hit hard by the storm.  A major branch had blocked our road to the south of us.  (Church is north.)  We felt very good to have experienced no such thing at our house.

After church, we ate lunch in “town,” which is actually the village where our post office is located.  As we returned home, we were headed north on our road.  Then we saw the top of a neighbor’s tree snapped off. It was huge–almost as big as my waist.  Yes, that big.  Fortunately we didn’t have anything like that at home.  As we approached our driveway, we both saw it.  Sylvia spoke first.  “Do you see that?”

It was one of our favorite maple trees.  Why would it do that?  It’s a good healthy tree.  Right?  Of course it is!

Oh my.  What a pity!

Look closer.  That tree had cracked–not broken–some time ago.

This crack would have teed into the crack where the break occurred.  The dead wood and the outer layer growth indicates this was done a few years ago.

I estimate that the old crack was about 30-inches long.  I guess this poor tree has been doomed for years.  It only needed the right storm to seal its fate.

I suppose there is a parable in this.  One about undetected flaws that go unnoticed and untended until the time of testing by storm occurs.  It made me think about such things.

Today, like most weekdays began with a fresh cup of coffee and a trip to the computer.  First, I took a peek at my e-mail inbox and deleted three items that came in over night.  Then a quick look at top headlines.   Next,I casually read my favorite blogs.  My blogger buds are always good for a smile and a laugh.  Sometimes one of them posts something that is quite serious.  By the time I’d finished that, it was time for a second trip to the coffee pot.  That rewarms the brew in my cup and it gives me a stretch. 😀

Back at the computer, I pointed my Web browser to my favorite comic strips.  One of them is Non Sequitur.  Wiley has an interesting way of viewing life.  Here’s what I found today:

As I said, an interesting view of life.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.  Oh, and did you notice that our blogger bud has a cat?  I also like that. 😉

I gotta go.  Shoe is waiting for me near Prickly City.  I won’t forget to wave at The Dogs of C-Kennel as I drive by The Barn.  Hope you have a good week.

Update

I only went as far as Shoe, where I found this:

Blogs appears to be the theme of the day. 😀

I didn’t like the window which appears in the silhouette that I posted yesterday.  So I worked on it later that day.

It looks better to me without the extraneous stuff to distract.  Do you think she’ll be surprised when she finds this image displayed as wallpaper on her desktop?

The image [here re-sized] that came out of the camera looked like this:

I talked with Sylvia last night.  Their outdoor plans were rained out yesterday.  Unfortunately, they decided that the rain was over and started a hike.  Rain cut the hike a bit short.  They had to get back to the cottage, and while trees helped a bit, they got wet.

Forecast looks great and the plan is to mow the lawn today, which hasn’t been done for over five weeks.  It is ready after more than an inch of rain this week.

I had planned to mow the lawn today.  It has been over five weeks since I last mowed it all and nearly two weeks since I mowed the damp areas where grass continued to grow.  Then the rain came.

This morning was strange.  The sky was overcast and their was light fog.  I brewed a pot of coffee, ate breakfast, checked and answered e-mail and made my rounds of favorite blogs.  Having finished that, and having nearly finished the coffee, I was about to check to online weather radar to see if I’d be able to get some mowing in before the forecast rain began.

Just as I was about to click the link to send my browser to the radar site, something at the window caught my attention.  I turned to look and saw . . . rain on the glass.  More was falling from the sky.  Oh well, no mowing this morning.

I visited the Intellicast radar loop for this region.  Sure enough, a low-pressure area was located over Lake Michigan just west of where Sylvia is vacationing with her dad and sisters.  They’ll be in the middle of it today.  It probably means a day of playing games around the table for them or maybe a shopping trip to town.  While the rain has stopped here, the radar shows more headed this way.

Today was Kitty Day on the blogs.  I got to see Hobbes, Grace, Livvy and Sherpa among others.  That’s what I needed.  I’m missing Sylvia (fortunately, she’ll return soon) and now I’m thinking about Midnight (who won’t) and it’s a rainy day.  🙁

What’s to do about it?  I say change my desktop wallpaper.  I chose this:

What do you think?

I’ve been going to share the story of one of our maple trees.  Something always seems to happen that results in me postponing the sharing of that tale.  This time it was a different kind of a tail.  One attached to four legs.

I usually see mom and the twins on the lower part of the lawn.  Yesterday, I finished lunch and was about to head down the basement stairs.  Something caught my eye.  On the edge of the lawn near the corn field.

It was a fawn enjoying the lush grass on the edge of the lawn.  (It has been over five weeks since that part has seen the mower deck.)  Thirty seconds later with camera in hand, I eased the combination door open to get a better shot at this youngster.

I watched for quite a while and then turned my back and sat the camera on a counter top.  I was about to leave and make my way to this computer when I looked over my shoulder.  Here’s what I saw.

My little friend was nibbling on crab apple leaves.  I had to shoot this one through the glass of the door.  Two panes of it.  (The bottom pane is up for the summer to allow fresh air to enter through the screen.)

A few minutes later and the young one had moved.  It was now even closer.

Keep nibbling kiddo.  I don’t want to mow anyway.  Hey Pricilla you’re a cousin.  Wouldn’t you like to munch on some of my yummy grass?  Will you bring a dozen or so of your friends?

It’s not very often when I see these critters this close.  It’s kind of nice.

We had more rain over night.  About 0.7 inch according to the rain gauge.  That makes nearly two inches in as many weeks.  The grass is greening up and the corn fields are perking up.  It feels good, but that is tempered by reports of drought that persists in other areas.

As I stepped onto the front deck with my camera, I saw mom and the kids down on the bottom part of the lawn.  The twin fawns are growing and have now lost their spots.  I see them on most days, but it has been difficult to get good pictures.  This time they were there, and I had the camera.  The more intrepid of the youngsters had run on ahead and was hidden from my sight by the cattails.

I recently looked out the window and saw Sylvia weeding in the garden.  While her attention was on her work, the doe and stepped out of the tall grass and brush and onto the lawn.  Sylvia continued to pull weeds.  Then the two fawn followed their mom.  Hesitant at first, they were soon running back and forth.  One with happy little bounds (probably a male) and the other with a more dignified gait (I’m guessing female, even if it means I’m in trouble with you dear reader).  Sylvia’s attention never wavered.  I wanted to open a window and alert my wife to the scene.  It wouldn’t work.  They would be gone before I could pass the word.

That part of the lawn is becoming a hay field.  My neighbor needs more hay to feed his beef cattle and my grass will do just fine.  He feeds his livestock and I rest my mower.  That’s a Win-Win situation if there ever was one.  Don’t you agree?