Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Go Forth And Conquer The World

wGabe_fish

This sweet, sensitive, daring, mischievious, charming, fun loving little boy officially starts kindergarden today.

Seriously?

How did that happen?

It wasn't so long ago I was holding him in my arms very early on a July day.  I was having my morning coffee, he his morning bottle.  We were discussing life.  I told how one day he would grow up to become a fine young man, just like his father.

And now?

He's going off to school full of confidence and ready to take on the world.

And the lucky lady who gets him in her class?

By 1:20 this afternoon she will have fallen victim to his charm, his twinkling blue eyes and his all knowing smile.

I predict it is going to be a very good year.

Happy first day of school G.

Go forth and conquer the world.




Monday, August 25, 2014

Fantasy Time

wcanoe_mist

Football season is upon us and in our house that can only mean one thing...Fantasy Football.

The Kid was off to Nashville over the weeknd for the 10th annual Fantasy Football Draft.  It is hard to believe the boys have been at this for ten years.  With few exception, the participants have remained the same, eagerly making the trek to Nashville for the annual event and a little boy bonding.

Word on the street is that things have changed since the early years when the boys were fresh out of collage, stayed up late, consumed copious amounts of beer, ate hotdogs, then slept til noon.  Fast forward ten years.  They are family men, early risers with light beer on the menu and everyone brings a dish to pass.

The circle of life.

It's not a fantasy.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Today

wQueen_Ann_emerges

Today is a beautiful day.

The sun is shining.

The birds are singing.

And my floors are going to be scrubbed for the first time in...

never mind.

Enjoy your Saturday.  Life is too short to do anything else.


P.S.  I have decided to give my Buccos another shot.  After all, everyone deserves a second chance ;-)))

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Simple Pleasures


wmushrooms

It is another gray day in western Pennsylvania.  The sound of the rain falling through the canopy of maples in front of Little Red tells me there is no walking or kayaking this morning.

Yesterday, after our weekly lunch date, I took my Mom for a ride.  There was no supply list, no need to stop at Walmart or the local drug store.  It was too early to return her to the home.  Instead we went for a drive.  Our meandering led us to the golf course she and my dad frequented in their younger years.  We strolled through the clubhouse (a former barn) and sat a spell beneath the tree on the number 1 tee. The look on her face was far away and full of joy.  There was no doubt that memories of good times and better days filled this one.

On the menu last night, BLTs.  Big red tomatoes fresh off the vine, thick sliced bacon, courtesy of the butcher at Livingston's farm, lightly toasted bread slathered in mayo.

Summer at it's best.



Tuesday, August 19, 2014

I Just Can't Take It Anymore


When something in your life causes you so much stress that your heart races and your stomach ties itself in knots day in and day out, you should give it up.  Walk away.  Cut all ties.


wPNCPark_1

That is why I am giving up baseball.

More specifically Pittsburgh Pirate baseball.

Those boys of summer are driving me crazy.  The blown saves, errors, missed opportunities, injuries, pitching woes......you name it, our Buccos have it.  The fiasco that has become my Pirates in recent weeks has caused me so much stress and anguish that I can no longer bear to watch.  My mental and physical health is at risk.

And so I am saying good bye.

Farewell Cutch (hope you return soon, that was a cheap shot to the back you took), Jordy (hope you return soon too, you have developed into an awesome SS), Garret (hope you are back in action soon also), Ike, JHay (you are still "da man"), Neil (that was one long bomb you launched into the Allegheny River last night), Travis (thanks for manning up and playing an awesome left field, but please, ditch that nasty tobacco habit), Gregory (hope you sign that contract soon), Starling (keep those Marte parte's coming) and Russ (what can I say, I love you man, you da bomb).

I will miss you all but you are breaking my heart.  I just can't take it anymore.

So farewell my Battlin Buccos.

I am over you.

All of you.


At least until you start winning again!

Monday, August 18, 2014

It's All In The Details



Late Sunday morning I decided to take my camera for a walk.

I began by strolling up the hill behind Little Red and then down the lane.

wlane

I walk this road, or a portion of it every single day.  The challenge on this morning was to capture it in a new and different way.

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But this was more than a photography lesson.

It was also a life lesson.

wred_leaf

It was about slowing down and looking beyond the ordinary, the mundane.

wRailroad_tunnel

It was about changing perspective,

wQueen_Ann2

and focusing on the details.

wQueen_Ann3

The beauty is in the details.

A life lesson for sure.

Friday, August 15, 2014

MIA

Someone's sweet face has been missing from the blog this summer.

wHenna

In case you were wondering:


  • In dog years she is now "age appropriate" with the other inhabitants of Little Red. 
  • She keeps a close eye on the comings and goings of the neighborhood from her perch on the bunk.
  • Knows the sound of all of the vehicles that reside in the BAA.
  • Loves to go for walks.
  • Hates to go to the groomer.
  • Sounds the alarm when intruders are near.  (Especially the four footed variety at 3:00 AM.)
  • Caught a baby squirrel.
  • Loves popcorn, but only when drizzled with liberal amounts of butter.
  • Hates the water.
  • Thinks the guest bedroom is hers.
  • Loves to have her butt scratched.

And lest we forget:
  • Still sheds worse than any dog on the planet.

But I love her still.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Shoe Shopping

I am a shoe person.  I love shoes.  I am also cheap so most of the time I manage to keep things under control selecting designs and colors that will work with my black and white wardrobe.  (That was a joke people.  Although if you ask The Kid he would tell you that sadly that black and white thing is true.)

After receiving the edict passed down from the podiatrist three weeks ago condemning me to a life of "tennis shoes with inserts for the next two months and then we will see," I decided a shopping trip was in order.  My walking shoes were past their prime and the remaining pair of athletic shoes in my closet were malodorous from wearing them sans socks for the past year.

A trip to the local outlets was scheduled.  The Principal went along because, well, she never passes up a shopping trip.  And, as everyone knows, it is no fun to shop alone.

So here's the rub, what on earth has gotten into the athletic shoe industry?  The aisles were filled with neon colored running shoes, walkers in multiple shades of everything and a variety of other bad ideas. Although one in our party was enthralled with the wedge heeled high tops and found the silver bullets too intriguing to pass up.

Me, I was dumb founded.  I limped along the aisles desperately seeking the white ones.  The light gray ones.  The plain janes with a touch of  color on the side that would go with everything.  The ones just like the ones I was about to discard.

Where were the Keds?  The cross trainers of old?  The walkers for common folk?

What I found?

Shelves stacked to the ceiling with clown shoes.

I was doomed.

And that's when it came to me.....

wshoes

If you can't beat em...join em.


Besides...everything goes with black & white.  Right?




Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Rust

wUnder_the_tree

In an attempt to shake the rust from my photography skills, I am forcing myself to take photos on an almost daily basis.  I wish I could say "daily basis"  but that just wouldn't be true.

The year that my camera sat idle on the shelf has taken a toll.  Sharpness is an issue for me, along with creative composition.  The only thing that will reverse the decay is practice.  You know that age old adage "use it or lose it?"  Apparently I am losing it.

I also need to practice embracing imperfection.

I am a work in progress.

Aren't we all?

Friday, August 8, 2014

Still Water

Since the ladies of the BAA have had their walking wings clipped this summer, Marcia and I decided to take matters into our own hands.  Determined to get some exercise and girl time on the books kayaking was the order of the day.

What we found at 7:30 on this morning were still waters and a lifting mist.

wstill_water

To say it was beautiful would certainly be an understatement.

wgrass

We paddled north on the lake investigating the shore line and coves along the way.

wLilys

Encountering no one until we reached the Snodgrass boat launch where we found a few energetic fishermen launching their crafts for a day on the water.

wshore

The lake was like a sea of glass.  Barely a ripple in sight.

wMarcia

As Marcia stated upon our return "the only thing that would improve this morning was someone waiting on the dock for us with a mimosa in hand."

(Hint, hint)

A beautiful morning indeed.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Happy Feet....Not

As you may recall I have been having a little problem with my right foot.

The diagnosis was confirmed.  Plantar Fasciitis.

wMorning_mist

The long of it:  the arch on my right foot will no longer support my weight properly.  It sagged, stretching and pulling on the fascia until it became inflamed and began to tear away from the bone where it attaches to the heel.

The short of it:  I am married to my tennis shoes with arch supports for two months.  And then we will see.

The good news:  After a round of predisone and two weeks in my tennis shoes and arch supports I have noticed improvement.

(Well, except for the day I had my insoles in the wrong shoes.  That little fiasco set me back a few days.  But seriously how stupid can one be?  Don't answer that.)

The bad news:  I am married to my tennis shoes for two months and then we'll see.  (Did you know that God doesn't care if you wear tennis shoes to church?  That's what the doctor said.  I wonder how he knows?)  The only time I am permitted to be barefoot is in the shower.  Any time my feet hit the floor they are to be in tennis shoes with arch supports.

The additional bad news:  There are four of us who walk each morning.  Three of us have issues with our right feet.  All different issues, but issues none the less.  We have all visited the same podiatrist who is now planning his trip to the Mediterranean.  The result:  no one is walking.

I miss my girls.  A lot is discussed and decided on during those morning walks.

The bad news:  I am married to my tennis shoes for two months and then we'll see.

I love my sandals.  I love going bare foot.  I love flat shoes.

I can't wait to file for divorce.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

High Hopes

wDaisy_daisy

What a crazy summer we are having.  One day it is 86 degrees with humidity that rivals south Florida (not really, but close) and the next day we are contemplating turning on the heat.

There is no fear that the well will run dry.  At least not in the near future.  There have been three days of rain for every single day of sunshine...or so it seems.

The garden is behind schedule.  Too much rain.  Too little sun.  Too many rabbits.
What is left of the pepper plants are sticks and the broccoli is long gone.
But I still have high hopes for the tomatoes.

And even higher hopes for next year.

The herbs however are flourishing.  Does anyone need parsley?  Basil?   Chives?
How about Oregano?

Rabbits must not like herbs.