Oh my goodness friends!! Sunflowers along the highway!!
Because Bruce is so tied up with all these church projects lately, we are not going many places just to roam around. Last Friday I suggested that we do so, but as it turned out, he had a meeting late morning so we could not go very far away. Nearby Andrews would work to take a walk in the woods, partly along the Valley River, the same one that runs adjacent to the river walk here in town.
You begin the walk with this view which I am very much looking forward to seeing again soon when the leaves are changing!
As I have had to report, ad nauseam I might add, it was another hot day, so the upcoming shade was welcome. It is only about a mile walk but pretty with bonus points for said shade. As is always the case, I am looking, looking in every direction and what should I see down a small knoll but a cairn along the river. Mr. Peck is posting our find to his facebook page.
The smaller river rocks were so lovely and smooth.
A view of the river.
Isn't it a wonder how people can stack those stones just so? Life is so full of wonderful things if only we take the time to notice them so says the optimist in the room!!
On our way to Andrews I had a passing glance at the roadside spectacle; on the way back I was locked in on where were they?? Closer to Murphy than I thought, finally they came into view up ahead.
Woo hoo! Writing this I am transported back in time, more than twenty years ago, when Bruce and I first went to England on a mission to see the town from whence his ancestors came before heading to America in the 1600's in order to escape religious persecution. Our destination was a tiny hamlet if you will, Hingham, located in East Anglia. Plenty to be said about that experience, but I will confine it to just this---rapeseed fields were in bloom as we made our way in a taxi, the driver of whom told us what the fields of PURE Yellow were. Oh my goodness, what a sight! Should you be interested, there are plenty of images online!
I see a tinge of color change on the tops of a few trees. Do you? Actually I have been documenting the trees along the riverwalk as the month progresses. Here is yesterday's look.
In the foreground there are plenty of wildflowers which were everywhere.
Before long the hummingbirds will make their long trip to Mexico and Central America for the winter so I celebrate every sighting at our feeder and on the zinnias. And, with any luck every now and again I see one out and about like I did yesterday.
Much to my surprise I also saw an Osprey for only the second time since we have been here.
Back on Campbell Street, we love our big trees that provide us with not only beauty, but shade as well. As with most things you take the good with the bad and in our case the chestnut tree is great until the nuts encased in what I am calling spike balls, begin falling, falling, and falling. To date, Bruce and I have picked up, one by one, 11 buckets full making this little hill of misery. The spikes on the outside are very, very painful when they puncture your skin and sadly, it does not take much for that to happen.
One afternoon I was barefoot to water my garden and the new plants on the other side of the yard. I thought I was far enough from where they drop; alas that was not the case and I have a tiny splinter of one in my left foot. To tell you the truth, I actually think the tree is in the Ledford's yard along the little wall but the canopy is on ours. Looking at the photo it may not look like much but if I had to guess there are several hundred there. Along with their magnolia pods friends.
Finally, a giant rainstorm on Saturday afternoon which was actually quite violent, as if making up for lost time as there has been almost no rain for weeks. I was so surprised to find three stalks of my floundering zinnia plants on the ground.
The powdery mildew has taken it's toll on the leaves and if you have no idea what I am talking about here's what I mean.
I decided that while I still had flowers I would bring them in the house to enjoy.
Aren't they just so cheerful?? Then again, when you realize you have been housing a worm for days it give's one pause. Yikes! And this was from a small vase on my kitchen windowsill!!
Not far from where I prepared a favorite dish that I do not make nearly often enough because it is a bit labor intensive. Then too, with my small amount of kitchen counter space, it takes a lot of chopping and ingredients. That said, it is so worth it.
The book behind the pan, which is what I made it in, is filled with favorite recipes that I find useful rather than digital form that I have to keep refreshing. While Bruce was at the gym, I prepared the salad and was looking forward to consuming it with him a little later. Well, indeed it was later, very much later. And do you want to know why??
But of course you do!!
In our unique pantry there is a pull cord for the light. While I was getting the peanut butter out of the pantry for the noodle salad dressing, pulling the cord in the usual way, something not so usual happened. The light came out of the ceiling and was dangling. Mentioning it to Bruce when he returned was my first mistake. And why would that be so? Because he is always responsive and got right to it, imagining it would not take very long, but then it did, in part because it is old wiring that one has to make sure works with new fixtures and so and so. Eventually, we did eat the salad that night, and then again, and again, because it makes so much!! And you know what? We did not mind in the least as it is so tasty!
The garden is looking good! Look at this okra flower!!!
And the dahlias, oh how I love you!
And to think this joy comes from a $2 pack of seeds!
Clouds!! We have had very few of late so seeing this was also a joy.
Aside from playing pickleball we had a quiet Labor Day. Actually I have had some quiet days and have filled them with reading, something I have been not doing enough of. To be a writer, one needs to first be a reader and I have been neglecting that side of things. Currently I am reading,
How to Read a Book which I was doing yesterday afternoon until I got to a place where the main character was making a very poor decision and I felt so bad about it I had to put it aside. So, yes I think it is good. The review I linked to above is not anyone I know, but I do see the review was from later 2024 and our little library is labeling it as new fiction. New to me anyway!
This time of year there are spiderwebs galore, but usually I don't see the spiders. This time I did.
I neglected to mention they are, thankfully, outdoors!!
One very great thing about living in a small town is that you have the opportunity to know the shop owners. Not saying you can't in a big town but here it is more likely. And the great thing about Murphy is we have some pretty darn creative souls owning the downtown businesses. Gray Matters always has the best windows, but this time they took it outside.
Look what was parked outside their door!!
Jeeps are popular here but I've yet to see one that is tickled pink!
Our garden journey together is not over yet because I planted new brocoli plants and hope they do well. In addition to that I planted both arugula and radish seeds, both of which have sprouted, and I believe I mentioned the garlic
in this last post. As you can see, I do not want this excitement to end!
It's a good thing I saw this butterfly when I did because there have been so few this summer.
My goodness there is a bug too!
Recently I came across this: "The amount of beautiful things in your life depends on your ability to notice them."
Sounds about right to me!!
your friend,
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