Staying in touch

First I just want to thank everyone who sent such wonderful condolence messages on the loss of our sweet kitty,  Miss Dottie.  We were able to bring her ashes home last week and she is now on the shelf with several other of our beloved kitties.  It meant a lot to us to know so many cared and understood how hard it was to lose her.

So today I'm trying to get back into posting a little more often.  It has become very hard to blog in the last couple of years being a full time caregiver of my mom.  She has good days & bad days and sometimes it is overwhelming but we are managing.

I'm just sharing a few random photos today.

 Some of our spring flowers and an Easter chick to make you smile.

The neighbors flowering trees.

 A new recipe I tried.  You can find it here, (Biscuit and Gravy Casserole.)   It was delicious.

See you all soon (I hope) with another post.

Willy-Nilly Friday Five, Feline Friday & Caturday Art - February 16-17, 2018

 Welcome!

Joining in today for:

WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FIVE:

 

 
 



Searching Again for "Color" in February...

1.  Old Theater Marquee Awning  (Now part of the Macy's store in town).  Submitted for 52 Frames this week for Architecture.  https://www.facebook.com/pg/52frames/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2034557149902728 and https://www.facebook.com/pg/52frames/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2034563409902102

 2. Pretty Primrose blooming in my mom's flower bed.

3. Red Berries spotted on a bush this morning on a walk.

 

 

4. Green Plants in the school garden area.

 



 5.  Colorful blown glass yard decor.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FELINE FRIDAY

Coleen's Cat Pepper

CATURDAY ART -

 Leaving you with 2 more Colorful songs:

and

Have a great weekend.



Friday Fun

Happy Friday!

Posting Today for:

FELINE FRIDAY - See #6

WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FIVE

TEN THINGS OF THANKFUL



1. I'm thankful for bacon - Everything always seems to taste better with bacon. I love BLT sandwiches.

Yes bacon is awesome but did you know you can use it for, Art?  Check out this bacon art.

2. I'm thankful for walks around our neighborhood where I can see things like this.

3. I'm thankful for being able to drive around and find different things to share and for people who dare to be different.

Not your typical color for a door but I like it.  Here are some other unusual doors.

4.  I'm thankful for Food Bloggers.  There you can find great recipes for food like this: Beef Tips and Gravy (Found HERE)

5.  I'm thankful for Nature and Beautiful Trees like these Magnolia's or Tulip Trees as we call them.

Did you know they come in other colors beside's pink?
How about a Yellow one...

6.  I'm thankful for having a sense of humor because you need one when you see things like this...

7.  I'm thankful my mom taught me how to cook or rather let me learn to cook by allowing me into the kitchen to try out recipes on my own.  I finally have mastered a flaky pie crust and oh my Apple Pie never tasted better.

8. I'm thankful for music.  This week I started listening to a Bob Seger album (Ride Out) that I have and really haven't listened to all that often.  It has some great songs on it. I wanted to play a song called, Listen from the album but YouTube doesn't have it.  So how about California Stars instead.

 

 



9.  I'm thankful for making it down this road we took up in the hills last week.

Towards the end of the drive down it the road was super "rutty" and I had to really drive slow so as not to drive off into one of the ruts and get stuck.

10.  I'm thankful that I can see things that I would never get to see if it were not for bloggers like Jackie (Junkboat Travels).  Check out this POST, It's pretty awesome.  Thanks Jackie for sharing.

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a very Happy Easter.

Willy Nilly Friday Five, 10 Things of Thankful

Welcome & Happy Friday.

Today I'm joining Tanya for Willy-Nilly Friday Five and Josie for Ten Things of Thankful.

This is my first time joining in this meme but I think it's a good one to participate in.


TEN THINGS OF THANKFUL

The first 5 things are also part of WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FIVE


1. Last week while dealing with our computer issues I was driving out to WalMart to try and find a DSL Modem to replace the one we had that had gone bad due to a "power surge" earlier in the week.  So I am stopped at a traffice light when I hear a loud pop followed by another pop and a jolt to our van. - We had been rear ended because the car behind us had been rear ended and it threw them into the back of our van.  - I got out and looked at the damage to the van and told the driver of the car behind me I wasn't even going to worry about it and he could deal with the car that hit him.  So I'm thankful that we weren't hurt and that this was the only damage to our van.

2. I'm thankful for my Granddaughter, Coleen and the fact that she wants to share fun little things with her Grandma.  Her teacher showed the kids a website the other day at school and Coleen had to show it to me. - Warning it's addictive.  It's called: Quick Draw - Just click on the link and have fun.

3.  We've had so much rain this month we've almost needed row boats to get around (well it seems that way) so I'm thankful that today it's not raining and my daffodils look like this...

Instead of this:

4.  I'm thankful for being able to see this yesterday on a short little drive I took with my mom.

It's always fun to spot this group of deer that hang out in a residential area.

5.  I'm thankful for cute birthday gifts like this solar flower that I got from my daughter & granddaughter for my birthday last week & for everyone that has wished me a Happy B-Day recently.

It's pretty during the day just as it is and at night that little ball in the center changed colors.  So pretty.

6. I'm thankful for:  Peanut Butter...yes, it's my go to breakfast when we are short on grocery money and I can even eat it right out of the jar for a snack too.  Yum!

7.  I'm thankful for Casper The Friendly Squirrel...that's what I've named this little fellow who is always willing to come and take peanuts from my hand. - Coleen was able to get a picture of him yesterday taking peanuts from me.

Coleen asked me how I knew which squirrel it was and I can tell you this little fellow has a stubby tail and I know it's him by his tail and the fact he isn't afraid to take the peanuts out of my hand like most of the other squirrels are.

8.  I'm thankful that my husband has been able to find jobs to help keep money coming in as it's been really "tight" budget wise since he retired and now has to depend on finding work on his own.

9.  I'm thankful for all our kitties (Miss Dottie, Callie-Jo, Harley, Captain Cuddles, Ghost, Spooky-Boo, Bandit, Pepper, and Caramel Honeybun) as they always make me smile. Like Miss Dottie here cramming herself into a cardboard box that was way to small but she managed to fit inside it.

10. I'm thankful for everyone who stops by my blog and leaves a comment or just stops in because it makes me feel goo to know you've been by.  - I hope you've enjoyed your stay here today. 

Have a great weekend.

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.

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.

Random 5 Friday

Happy Friday!  It's time for some "Randomness" so join me and the host of RANDOM 5 FRIDAY, the wonderful Nancy from (A Rural Journal) for some random thoughts.





1.  Signs of spring are on the way!!! - I got to spend some time outside this week and even managed to clear some of the leaves and weeds out of my flower beds.  Look what I saw yesterday.

2.  Why is it when you have a day off from school like Coleen does today that it rains?  Yes, yesterday it was beautiful outside (64 degrees) and today it's raining. I always hated that when I was a kid.  The week before spring break it would be gorgeous and then you would have your break and it would rain the entire week and clear off the day you had to head back to school.

3.  So now that the "Bachelor" show is over and might I add ("good riddance" to Juan Pablo and his, "I like you a lot" winner) it's time to move on to Dancing With The Stars.  Promises to be an interesting season with all the new changes.  - Yes I love so called (reality) TV shows but only certain ones.

4.  Had a fun lunch out on Monday with a bunch of ladies from our church who all have birthday in the month of March.  We ate at a Chinese Buffet place and just had a fun time getting to know each other better.

5. We got a new neighbor in the house next door to us (not my mom's place).  The house has been vacant since last October.  The last neighbors weren't bad but they did get into shouting matches with lots of 4-letter words and the cops were there a lot because their son was always in trouble with the law (drugs, domestic violence) so it's a relief to have a nice, quiet, middle-aged, single woman living there now. 

So now I leave you with my "Quote of the Week" photo.

Off to get more coffee so I can browse your blogs, first though I have to go separate fighting cats (Spooky-boo and Cuddles) and then feed the birds and squirrels.  I hate going out in the rain.