Finally...

I am soooooooo incredibly excited to have finally captured the moon with my little Polaroid. It is a tad dark, ok it's really dark and it does look suspiciously like a flying saucer but I guarantee this is the moon over my little abode. Thank you for cooperating Mr. Moon, Grandmother Moon, Man in the Moon, whatever your name is.

Clearing the beds...

clearing the mind.

Cali

Alias: Cali Cat, Kitty, Plumpen, Queen of Sheba, Crip, Dunda, Fat Cat and Gollum.

Welby

Alias: Meemers, Crumken, Child, Baben, Bumpo, Bumpkin, Mumpkin, Pumpkin, Lumpkin, Iron Paw, Frito Paw, Chalupa, Craben and Pippin.

Hansel & Gretel

This coming weekend, Christy will be performing in "Hansel & Gretel". This is an opera being produced by the University of Mary Hardin Baylor. Last night was technical night, so there were lots of starts and stops and trying on of costumes. I snapped a few photos...a bit blurry, but representative of the activities.
Angels...Christy is flying.
Gingerbread Children
Final Scene: Christy is third from the right, on the floor.

I took this picture today because it reminded me of a conversation John, Ana and I had yesterday. I want to record it here. We were sitting in the gazebo having a cuppa herbal tea, when I said,
"Often when I look down the creek, I think of Frodo & his companions. The green trees and creekbed seem like somewhere they would have explored."
John added, "Yea, it does. We should take a picture of the family walking down the creek. Let's see, who would we be?"
Then the three of us commenced upon discussing the character traits of various characters from LOTR, making the best match possible with family members. Here is what we came up with:
GANDALF-JOHN He nominated himself because he is oldest. When I reminded him I'm two months older well, he still wanted to be Gandalf. He is taller than me and Gandalf was tall so it seemed a suitable match.
SAM-SUSAN Well, our names do start with the same letter. Actually, this was Ana's suggestion as I like to cook, as did Sam. According to Ana, I am sweet and loyal like Sam.
GALADRIAL-ANA I nominated Ana for this position because she likes the fairy people, she is very spiritual and pretty like Galadrial. She didn't feel she was wise enough for the role but I assured her it was a good match.
ARWEN-NICOLE I nominated Nicole for this because I thought of Arwen's dramatic words about "There is still hope" and I could easily hear Nicole say that. Plus, she often has a love interest and always wants to be in the middle of activity.
LEGOLAS-NATHAN Well, first off Nathan sort of looks like Legolas. He is tall and blond. He is also quiet like Legolas and very observant.
MERRY-CHRISTY The name is so Christy....she is Merry! She is the shortest of us so hobbit stature befits her.
PIPPIN-WELBY Our little Sheltie is Pippin because she loves to eat ANYTIME.
GOLLUM-CALI Our cat is "Gollum", after some protest by me, because she is friendly sometimes and not friendly other times, she also can climb very well and sneak up on people.
So that is the backstory to today's photo selection. THE END.

Update

Ten days ago, I posted a photo of the first Lady Bankston roses just beginning to open. What a difference ten days makes!
These roses climb into trees. I could trim the vines back but I like the way they cover everything in yellow for a few weeks. They have yet to reach their full cascading glory, so I may post another photo when they are at their most expansive point!

Texas Bluebonnets

and our youngest daughter, Christy. What a beautiful combo!

Glass shards
Recycled art
Broken promise transformed
Reflections revealed by knowing
Myself

Soul Time at Cedarbrake

I am just home from an overnight stay at the Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center....aaahh! I am not Catholic but the atmosphere there is so peaceful, it's close to home and the price is right.

Mary in the midst of a gigantic rosemary bush. I love to pull off a sprig and crush it between my fingers... to release the Heavenly aroma.

Lagniappe!

Storm Brewing

It smells like rain and the sky is grower darker by the minute. I love storms when I can watch them from the shelter of my backporch!

Welcome!

Backgates, backdoors and backporches, these are places that feel like home to me. When you come see me, please enter through the backgate. I'll be there to greet you!

Dry Skin

I know how this tree feels! What's your favorite lotion for dry skin?

Gazebo Sanctuary

"Longing is a constant companion. I invite you to listen closely to it. It often comes in a dream. It may call from the trees outside. It often quickens at the hearth within our homes and beckons us to come closer. For some, the longing may emerge as an undeniable sensation, as if we have an unfulfilled appointment with a destiny that is awaiting us."
The Mist Filled Path, by Frank MacEowen

Enneagrams

Please go here and take this freebie "test". It won't hurt much unless you don't like forced questions. I am conflicted this morning as my enneagram is now a three way tie between numbers TWO, FOUR and SIX. I used to be a TWO. Perhaps this is what happens during mid-life. If you take the "test" let me know which number you are. There is no right number. For the purist, I will say we are all a bit of all the numbers but we have predominant numbers at work in our lives. OK, all you brave souls go for it! You can read more about my conflicted morning thoughts here. Oh, and if you open this photo, you will note it is fuzzy and sort of off center, even after 15 attempts. I will blame it on my conflicted enneagram!

This scared guy spent some time in our bathtub this morning! He was approximately 12x10 inches in size.

Spring Has Sprung

Time and Trees.

Lady Bankston roses just beginning to pop! In a few weeks they will be cascading over the fence and climbing into the treetops. These beauties are itty bitty wild roses that take your breath away.

Honeysuckle is one of my favorite flowers. It brings back girlhood memories of hot summer days, standing barefoot in front of a fence covered in honeysuckle, all the while avoiding the bees and gently pulling the honeysuckle stem away to get at the sweet nectar.

Rain Green

That's what I call this shade of green!

Camp Kacheena!

Some of the girls from Christy's Girl Scout troop(and a few Moms) met at Camp Kacheena today. This is the Girl Scout camp for the central Texas Bluebonnet Council and is located about 20 minutes from our home. As we hiked down this hill to the water, the view was quiet lovely!
Christy and a friend in the very chilly waters of Lake Belton.
Canoes waiting for summer Girl Scout campers! Today was a nice preview of what is to come!

P.F. CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO

We gave Ana a gift card to "Barnes & Noble" for her birthday, so today she and I drove to Austin and spent a couple of hours browsing(and buying) books. Afterward, we stopped at one of our favorite restaurants...P.F. Changs...for a scrumptious meal.
This giant horse guards the restaurant.