Random, Willy Nilly & a Tea Cup Exchange

Happy Friday!

It's time for some fun.  So let's join Nancy & Tanya for RANDOM FIVE FRIDAY & WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FUN. - Click on the link to be taken to the fun.

1.  I recently participated in the Tea Cup/Mug Exchange hosted by the lovely Stephanie (The Enchanting Rose) and today is the link up for what we received from our partners.    Here is what I received from the wonderful & fun, Mary Burris (Jingle Jangle Jungle)

 

 

 Look at those adorable cat mugs...Mary must know how much I love cats. They were "purr-fect"! - Also some great mint tea, a favorite of mine. A pretty candle, some lovely smelling lotion and a note pad.  Thanks, Mary everything was wonderful.

 I just had to show off the mugs one more time. - If you've never participated in this check out Stephanie's blog and sign-up the next time she hosts.  It's so much fun and you make new friends along with getting a fun mug/cup.

2.  Spring is in full-force here now.  We had a couple of rainy days this week (typical for spring) and then yesterday it was 75 outside.  Coleen and I took a walk after she got out of school.  I snapped this shot of a flowering tree along the way.

Textured with one of Nancy's great textures from her Little Women collection.  The one I used was, Beth.  I was excited to get a "bee" in the shot too.

3. We saw a few butterflies, those little white ones that are pretty common around here but I couldn't get any pictures of them.  I did however get this picture of a butterfly bench we spotted in someone's yard.  Isn't that cool!

4.  We love squirrels around here and I leave peanuts out for them along with seeds for the birds.  Apparently other people around town enjoy squirrels too.  Look what we spotted in someone's yard.

5.  Since it was nice out yesterday and I was actually feeling half-way decent I got out and trimmed up the roses bushes.  They took a hard hit this winter when we had a super warm spell that was followed by a super cold snap.  I may have lost a lot of them and will have to replace them.  In the meantime lots of other things are blooming.  My Bleeding Heart plant is up but hasn't bloomed yet.  I did spot this one on our walk and thought it was pretty.

 



Joining Steve too for FELINE FRIDAY

                                  Eric the cat asleep on the End Table

Let's give this one a "caption" - Give me your best idea's and I'll pick a winner and feature your caption next week.

Good Fences - Two-Fer (Weeks 52 & 53)

Hello & Welcome.  - I must say it's been quite a week here.  We are still dealing with health issues for my husband (although he is feeling better) and for my mom & myself.  Both my mom & I have caught bad colds with a nasty cough yet again so we've been under the weather.  -  Plus on top of that I learned that my mom fell in her bathtub late last night.  She's okay, sore & a bit bruised but now we will need to figure out how to prevent that from happening again.  -  It seems like things just keep piling up on us but I am trying to "hang in there" as they say. 

With that said let's join Theresa (The Run-a-round Ranch Report) for some fun with GOOD FENCES.   I missed last week so I'm going to do both weeks here with a couple of different fences.

Last weeks:

 

Spring daffodils from behind a fence.  The next shot is a little closer view.  I spotted these in a little alleyway/street on the way to taking Coleen to school.  I thought they were cheery looking and fitting for spring.

 

 

This next fence I spotted on one of my neighborhood walks one day.

 



It's not a very big fence but I thought it looked interesting enough to share.

My favorite feature on the fence.....

I hope you've enjoyed these two different fences.  Don't forget to check out all the other great fences from around the world.

Have a great day.

Spring Hello

Hello my friends.  It's been a few days since I've posted so I thought I should update you all on what has been happening here.

Last Friday was the 1st Day of Spring and also my birthday.  - I had planned to do a birthday giveaway that day but was unable to post due to unforeseen events with my husband.

Wednesday night he started having more problems with his joints hurting.  Thursday was the day I planned to go to the Wildhorse Casino for my annual "birthday" celebration with my mom & Greta.  I didn't want to leave Mike alone so he called a friend who came and spent the day with him until we got back.  We had fun but really didn't win anything but we didn't come home broke either.

Friday (my birthday) he wasn't do that well so I ended up taking him back to the doctor.  They did some blood work (finally) and the doctor made what he said was a "clinical diagnosis" based on Mike's symptoms.  Here's the real kicker.  According to his doctor Mike contacted some kind of an infection from the IV's he had while in the hospital for his heart problems.  That infection in turned caused him to get a "rare" case of Rheumatic Fever in his joints.  He said it happens although he said he's only seen it maybe about once every 10 years or so.

He put Mike on a Steroid course immediately and he's starting to show some signs of improvement.  This of course may take a long time to heal and we have to keep track of his heart more closely now as it can be damaged from the Rheumatic Fever.  So far he hasn't shown signs of further heart damage though so we are grateful for that.  He did go back to work this morning but will most likely come home early as he gets tired easily now and needs to rest so he doesn't have a relapse.

So that is why I haven't posted much. - I will try to visit blogs when I can but wanted to let you all know what was happening.  I'll do my give-away at another time.

Thanks for your support, prayers & friendship.

 



Scavenger Hunt Sunday - March 15, 2015

 Welcome! - Gosh it's been quite some time since I've participated in Ashley's (Ramblings and Photos) meme,
SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY and I've missed it.

This week I just happened to have managed to find all the prompts:  Time, On My Plate, Animal, Negative Space and Photographer's choice.

TIME:  You get 2 photo's for this prompt as I couldn't decide which one to use.

This clock tower on the Whitman College Campus gives you a 4-way look at what time it is as there is a clock on all 4 sides of the tower.

It's "Nap Time" for Eric the Cat.

ON MY PLATE:  - Let's make that Coleen's Plate

We had Tuna Burgers and baked potatoes for dinner the other night.  She turned hers into an "Alligator."  She makes food a lot of fun.

ANIMAL: 

This squirrel was watching me putting out peanuts and bird seed very patiently the other morning.  I was so close I could have reached out and touched him.

NEGATIVE SPACE:

I really like how the "negative" space in this shot draws your eye towards that pretty open bloom.

 

PHOTOGRAPHERS CHOICE:

 

I took Coleen to the annual WWCC (Walla Walla Community College) Cowboy Breakfast and Kid's Rodeo today.  After breakfast we wandered through the horse barns and I snapped some pictures.  I took a few in Black and White and this one is my favorite. 

 

I hope you've enjoyed the hunt and will check out the other participants.

Fill-In Fun, Randoms, Willy-Nilly's & Cats

Friday's are so much fun!  You get to play along with Nancy (A Rural Journal) and Tanya (Around Roanoke) for their memes:

RANDOM 5 FRIDAY and WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY 5

Plus I will be sharing as well for (Feline Art, Feline Friday and Follow-Friday for Fill-In Fun.)  Yes it's a lot to take in so hopefully you don't get overwhelmed with everything.  I could do separate posts if it's too much.  Let me know what you all think about including so many memes in one post.

So let's get started:

1.  Last Sunday when we got home from church we discovered that my mom's dog, Pixie had gotten out as the back door hadn't been closed tight enough and the little stinker pulled it open.  The Animal Control Officer had picked her up and left us a note.  Needless to say we were quite bummed out about this, especially my mom.  After doing some calling and pleading we were able to get her dog back.  Let's just say that we got her back on a Sunday by the "Grace of God" and a very kind ACO.  Speaking of dogs.....

 You all haven't seen our Pug, Cricket in awhile so here she is.  I wish she wasn't panting all the time so I could get a good picture of her with her mouth closed but I think this one is pretty cute anyway.

2.  Spring is in the air here and boy do I love it.  The flowers are starting to bloom and the trees are leafing and budding out.  Such a pretty time to take a walk especially when you can see this:

 3. Last week I mentioned that we are gearing up for a big concert here come August 13-15.  It's been generating a lot of news around here.  What's funny is now people are starting to complain about the location of the concert.  Home owners are worried about the noise and the crowds walking around the neighborhood, the city planners are trying to figure out traffic control, crowd control etc...  Shouldn't they have thought all that out "Before" booking these groups to play here.

4. This weeks (creepy) neighborhood find.  - A Chinese Dog/Lion? Which is it?  These people have two of these things side by side.  I find them a bit creepy looking.  Speaking of Creepy... What do you all think of Mattel's new Talking Barbie  -  I had one of those Chatty Cathy dolls when I was a kid and remember me & my cousin playing together with our dolls one night when she was staying over, I never thought of it as being creepy but this Barbie I think goes a bit to far.

5.  Wow Easter isn't far off and I was excited yesterday to see that the "Egg Tree" is up again.  I can't remember why this lady puts the eggs on the tree but I think it's really fun and so cute and springlike.

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Coleen and ""Peaches" another neighborhood cat.  He is so cool and has the weirdest meow, it's like he has laryngitis when he meows.  Sharing with Steve (The Burnt Food Dude) for Feline Friday.

Also sharing this shot of Peaches (below) for Feline Art Friday:

Here is the original:

 

 

Joining Hilary for Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun.

The statements:

1. The worst ____________ is _______________
2. I would rather____________________  than _____________
3. I can ________ but I wish I could ________
4. The song ________________ evokes memories of _______________

My answers:  1.  The worst part of getting older (I have a birthday next Friday) is more aches and pains as each year passes.
2.  I would rather be at the beach than in the mountains.
3.  I can sing but I wish I could play the piano.
4.  The song, How Great Thou Art evokes memories of my dad, it was his favorite hymn.



Hope you had fun here today.  Be sure to stop back by next Friday as it's my birthday (20th), the first day of spring and I will be celebrating with a little Giveaway.

Good Fences 51

Good Morning! - It's time to join Theresa (The Run-a-round Ranch Report) for GOOD FENCES.

 

 

Last week I featured a fancy Wrought Iron fence and mentioned that I would post the fence bordering that property this week.  Funny thing....When I went down to get some other pictures of the fence I planned to post today I discovered that this fence is actually a block away from the fancy Wrought Iron fence.

 

However there will be two fences ( make that 3) here today because these two fences  actually are the ones that border each other. 

 

 

 

In this shot you will see the Green Picket fence and another wooden fence on the other side of the yard.  What is fun here are the cute little birds that sit on top the fence posts.

 

I took two different shots of these birds from different angles.  This is one of them and below is the other.

 

Do you think it's about to peck off that bug/spider just below on the post?

 

So what fence is right next door to this one......

 

It's a green wire fence with black wrought iron posts.  Lots of overgrown weeds or brambles too.

 

The view from the opposite direction.

 

Finally a close-up of the iron posts and brambles.

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed these fences today. - Don't forget to stop in and visit Theresa's blog and check out the other great fence participants.



Random and Willy Nilly Thoughts - 3/6/15

 It gives me great pleasure today to join Nancy (A Rural Journal) and Tanya (Around Roanoke) for:

RANDOM 5 FRIDAY and WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FIVE.


So let's get started with the party.  Click to Enlarge Photos.

1.  Yesterday my hubby saw his Primary Care Doctor again and asked him about being on the Plant Based Diet that the Cardiologist was trying to push him into.  He said he felt it would be okay if he followed more of the Mediterranean Diet and that it would hurt him if now and then he had say a piece of Pizza or a Hamburger as long as he didn't over do it and tried as much as possible to avoid junk food, processed foods and lots of sugary stuff.  I think we can deal with that a lot better then just eating plants.



(Saw these pretty spring flowers while out walking yesterday. - Edited with the Watercolor Effect on BeFunky.)

 

2. We still eat meat and I found a good recipe for Turkey Meatloaf that uses Granny Smith Apples in it.  Normaly I don't like meatloaf that much but I actually liked this recipe.  You can find it here at Dishing It Up With Lisa.

I didn't have any Panko Bread Crumbs so I substituted 1 cup of Oatmeal and I didn't have the Balsamic Vinegar so I used Apple Cider instead.  My crust didn't brown up like hers though so next time I'll try to have the right ingredients.  Speaking of turkeys.....

 

(Coleen and I spotted this wild turkey in someone's yard while on our way to the store last night.  I didn't have my camera with me so I hurried back home and got it hoping the turkey would still be there when I got back.  It was and I snapped several photos of it.  This is one of them.)

 

3.  I need to buy some new pants.  Prior to Mike's heart issue I had decided to see if I could lose weight and have now dropped almost 15 pounds.  My pants are getting quite loose.  It's hard for me to find jeans though that fit and are comfortable.  I'll be jean shopping later today & hope to find just the right type of comfy jean that isn't overly baggy looking.

 

4.  We are in the 60's this week and next.  It's so nice to see blue skies and sunshine.  While out walking the dog yesterday I spotted this little scene on someone's porch and I thought it was so spring like I just had to share it.

 

 

Don't you just love the pretty rainbow of color.

 

5.  A big Music Festival is planned for Walla Walla in August.  Artists,

Mumford and Sons and Foo Fighters are the artists listed as already being showcased along with other as yet unannounced artists. It's going to be quite something.  You can learn more about it here:  I've not heard of these artists as I'm still stuck in the 70's for music but here is a sample of Mumford and Sons .



 I liked the tune of this song and the beat but the use of the (F-word) just isn't my thing.  Sorry but I don't find that necessary to get a point across.



 Today instead of something "creepy" that I've seen in people's yards how about something sweet and lovely.   This little Angel with a Bird caught my eye.  I think she's adorable.  I just wish the dead looking rose bush next to her had been trimmed down a little.

Can't leave without sharing a (Cat) photo.  I spotted this kitty basking in the sunshine on someone's porch and snapped some photos.  It watched me at first quite intently and then settled down to go back to sleep while I snapped away.

Don't forget to stop by Nancy and Tanya's blogs and have some fun with Random and Willy-Nilly thought.  -  Have a great weekend.

Good Fences #50

It's time to join Theresa (The Run-a-round Ranch Report) for the super fun  GOOD FENCES meme.

Today's fence is another neighborhood fence that I snapped while out and about on a nice day.

Click to Enlarge for better view.

This fence borders the entire property of this home.  What caught my eye was the Golden Top of the fence and the curvy pattern.  This is a Wrought Iron Fence.

A close up showing more of the detail of the fence top.

Another view which also shows the cool looking lantern light in the yard.

And just because I really liked that light here is a close-up shot of it as well.

Next week I'll show you the fence that borders this property.  It's different and fun.

Just an "update" for those interested on my husband.  He is doing fine and is back at work.  We had a visit with his Cardiologist who said he has what they call,  CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) and has one large blocked artery that cannot be stinted due to the position of the blockage.  Thankfully the arteries on the other side of his heart are sending out branches by-passing blood on their own.  He also has some smaller blocked arteries on the left side which also cannot be stinted because they are too small for a stint.  The bottom line is that they are treating him with Medication and he is now having to eat a much healthier diet.  She wanted him totally on a Plant Based Diet but mostly because that is what she would recommend.  We are getting a 2nd opinion on that today.  We are however cutting out all fried foods, junk food etc...and opting for more Vegetables, Fruits and Whole Grains.  Finding recipes is taking up a lot of my time but I am coping and we are looking at this with a positive attitude that it will benefit us all to eat healthier.  -  Thank you all for you continued support and prayers.  It means a lot to us.