ROAD TRIP..THEN AND NOW...

 

Do you recognize this roadway? 

 Does it look familiar?  

If not, no worries, 

I hardly recognize it myself,

 it has been so long it seems.

It is a thin ribbon of a highway 

with curvy corners but a very good face lift since it was last traveled. 

 Sometimes both sides look the same,

 a green and healthy environment, 

but sometimes there are places that look like they could go up in flames it is so dry.

Seen in the distance 

is something that you never want to see.  

Haven't heard of any fires in the area 

so don't know what it means 

but living in California, 

you can never take for granted this particular sign.

There are many destinations at the end of this winding road,

 but one of the sweetest is where we are heading to today.  

It has been awhile since we have been able to wander these parts 

and with each trip there comes memories of many roads traveled before...

...and what old winding road doesn't have

 a neglected lavender field...

...or a Boot Hill?

When the kids were small, 

we traveled many a road very similar to this one

 and, while each one was a mission of excitement at the beginning, 

there were,  invariably,  the many questions asked each time:  

"Are we there yet, how long before we get there, 

will we have to stop at an antique shop along the way?"

Little voices asking so many questions.  

Today was no different.  

We started out with two soft, cuddly beds in the back seat,

 looking forward to a comfortable drive

 without the heat of little bodies on top of us.

  But now, in our Golden Years,

 we have to put  up with

 a different kind of whining, literally!!

To keep the peace,

 we pull over and take two hot, tired little bodies 

up into the front seat with us...

the whining stops immediately.

Imagine that!

"Oh, Mama, 

I know your butt is numb and your knees are stiff, 

but I am so contented and feel so loved".

What are you gonna do?

And, at the end of the journey,

 along this road, 

the rewards are so sweet!!

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

THE SUMMER OF CONTENTMENT...

 

Well, my friends, 

summer is here, 

and I feel like a cat on a hot tin roof!  

I'd better be careful using that explanation 

because I really don't remember

 what the movie was about, 

but the title sounds perfect for the way I am feeling.

  I'd much rather be

 that bird, sitting on that turtle, in that pond.

Things have been heating up around here.  

We have been in 

the high 90's and 100 degrees all last week, 

and the 4th of July is

 breathing down our necks.

I did a very small bit of decorating for Memorial Day

 so the red, white and blue has been hanging around 

waiting for the big day. 

 We actually have awhile until the holiday 

so there will probably be a bit more done

 but I don't think there is going to be much 

celebrating around here this year

 which is fine by me.

  The thought of going out 

is a bit much in this weather. 

 If I can muster up some porch sitting

 that is all the party that I need.

Speaking of porch sitting, 

the front porch is the perfect place to be

 in the early morning. 

 It is still cool enough to enjoy that first cup of coffee 

and to get those old rocking chairs a-moving

 doesn't take much effort.  

The scent in the air 

from dew on the grass

 is greatly appreciated...

...in the late afternoons, however, 

with the dappled sunlight coming through the shade trees, 

the screened porch is a welcoming place.  

We can still hear the neighborhood kids playing, 

and the dogs barking in the distance, 

but secluded there, as we are, 

behind the green of the ivy

 and the tangled secretness of the garden...

...we feel like this 

is almost as perfect as

 being that old bird, 

sitting on that old turtle, in that old pond.

We are hopeful that the pandemic is slowing down, 

although there are still some variants out there that need careful consideration, 

and a good double dose of vaccination.

 Things are starting to open up again,

I have come to the conclusion that staying home is 

not such a bad thing. 

 I look forward to a nice drive in the country, 

or a trip to Home Goods

 and, of course, seeing our kids and friends 

whenever we can, 

but I guess it is like the old saying,

 "You don't miss what you have until you don't have it", 

but now that we can have it again, 

I find that the contentment of home

 is still a pretty good feeling to have.

"I know a little cottage

Where everything's just right;

The windows bloom with tulips -

At dusk there's candlelight.

The knotted oak beside it

Is webbed with ivy leaves

And honeysuckle tangles

in clusters round the eaves...

...the friendly gate swings open

Against a low stone wall

Where quaint old fashioned blossoms

Design a Paisley shawl;

And up the winding pathway

The stones with moss are grown -

I love that little cottage

Because it is my own!

Virginia Wauchope Bass

Happy Summer Days everyone 

and hope all you dads out there

 had a wonderful Father's Day and

Happy Juneteenth!

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS...

 

It really is the little things in life that keep us going.  

The little things that we do, 

and the little things that are all around us 

that we sometime lose track of. 

 These little flowers, growing in the garden,

 are pretty and they brighten up the space, 

but after seeing them a few times, we kind of lose sight of them,

 when they get swallowed up by more of what we consider important. 

 They are just there, 

doing what they are supposed to do,

 and we have other things to think about. 

 Pick them and bring them in the house, 

put them into a pretty little pitcher, 

and all of the sudden

 there is a little nosegay on the table

 that makes you smile every time you catch sight of it.

Who ever pays attention to old rags?

  They are just something to clean with 

and then throw out. 

 When those rags are torn into strips 

and wrapped up to form a ball, 

they become a piece of art to be enjoyed.

Even when a troublesome weed

 has gone to seed,

 there is still signs of beauty there

 to be admired.

Have you ever looked at a hydrangea 

when it wasn't in full bloom?  

We tend to notice them when 

they are big and colorful, but before they become that, 

they should be seen as remarkable.

These tops were originally on a porch railing. 

 They were cut off and discarded 

into a pile of junk by a neighbor, 

put out curbside to be gotten rid of. 

 They appeared to be 

nothing short of a true treasure to us.

  Oh, the possibilities!

No matter how old you are, 

there are always some little things

 you never forget...

...and the passage of time

 is one of the biggest things in life...

 little pictures are way worth

 a thousand words.

Some days, 

and there should be more than there are, 

we just need to stop and take in everything that is around us and see it for what it is.  

A bunch of little things 

that make up the whole big picture of life. 

 Things that seem so inconsequential at times,

 should never be taken for granted.

I went out to lunch with my girlfriends last week. 

 The first time we have been together in over a year. 

 Sitting across from each other at the table, 

even after all this time lost, 

seemed so normal, so much the same.  

But it wasn't, not at all. 

 One of us had lost a husband, 

I had lost my sister-in-law, 

and we had all lost friends. 

 This is what it is all about 

and why it is so important 

to take note and remember

 all the little things

 and how they add up to be bigger 

than we ever dreamed they would be. 

 Spending time with our kids,

 a few weeks ago, was a big part of all this

 and one thing that made it all possible....

the vaccine. 

 A really important little thing to do

 that adds up to be 

one of the biggest, at this time,
 for us all.

Have a wonderful week...

...Judy...

...and sometimes

 little things should be left 

well enough alone!

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

A WORRY-LESS GARDEN...

"June is bustin' out all over

All over the meadow and the hill

Buds're bustin' outa bushes

And the rompin' river pushes

Ev'ry little wheel that wheels beside the mill.

June is bustin' out all over
The feelin' is gettin' so intense
That the young Virginia creepers
Have been huggin' the bejeepers
Outta' all the mornin' glories on the fence!"

Carousel, 1945

Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein ll

It will be a little while longer

 before summer

 makes itself known on the calendar page,

 but she is certainly making herself known 

in real time just now.  

If all this heat keeps up 

we are in for a most miserable time. 

 I do love summer, and it is supposed to be hot,

 but it really could back off somewhat in my opinion.

  We had such a dry winter and spring 

and that will make for a lot of time watering. 

 Already, we have automatic sprinklers

 coming on every morning 

and are still having to water by hand 

before the afternoon is over. 

 This is the time that I am thankful 

for being in charge of a 

worry-less garden.

Our old-school summer phlox

is coming on strong, 

It didn't do very well last summer

 and we thought that maybe it was

 starting to bloom itself out

 (after all, 123 years or thereabouts, is a long time). 

 Here it is this summer as boisterous as ever.

  There is no color yet 

but come July/August 

it will seem that clouds

 have fallen from the sky. 

We planted a mandevilla vine

 which is the prettiest, brightest, deepest red. 

 Hopefully, it will make its way up

 and twine around the arch way. 

 If it does, it will make quite a showing.

  If it doesn't we will try something else.

The barrels 

awaiting our old standbys, zinnias, 

are already pushing the coreopsis out 

and a few little orange nasturtiums

 peeking out over the edge.

  Hopefully, this weekend the zinnias will go in.

Last year 

this little lavender looked the worse for wear, 

but now it appears that it is 

healthy once again.

In the evenings, before we go to bed, 

we divide our time evenly,

 sitting on the porches with the

 scent of the star jasmine in the air. 

 As it starts to cool off at the end of the day 

we get the scent from every side of the Cottage, 

such as the one, above, 

over the gazebo in the Secret Garden...

...or as it twines around 

the spindles of the 

dining room porch...

...and as it sits in the shade

 of the crepe myrtle tree.

It even looks and smells beautiful in the parlor,

 but does not last long as a cut flower.

The valerian is winding down 

all along the outside of our fence...

...as it is on the inside...

...but it still offers some shade

 for a little to relax under 

and soon it will get cut back

 and bloom again before the summer is over.

 Every year

 the valerian makes its presence known 

in another part of the garden, 

just the way I like it.

We still have a lot to do to put the garden in tip top shape, 

but it will get done by and by. 

 No worries.

Sometimes there are worries though

 and when that happens just go faux.

Katie from  Let's Add Sprinkles 

shared a beautiful hosta that she had received awhile ago 

and I thought it looked so pretty on her porch 

so I ordered one here

  I wanted something green

 on this end of the screened porch

 and didn't want the added worry of keeping it watered 

so this seemed the perfect solution. 

 I read, and Katie said, that there were six.

 I thought it meant that there was one stalk

 with six stems coming off of it.  

No, there were actually six stalks. 

 What I have in the tin wash tub here is only 4 stalks. 

 I had a real hosta in a barrel under the gazebo that died 

so I stuck the extra two stalks in there.  

Don't know how it will fare with sun hitting it sometimes

 but we shall see 

and I do like what it looks like

 filling in that back corner...

...and while we are in the Secret Garden...

...a lovely little house has

 become available for rent

 in the neighborhood. 

Making room for

 a new family of fairies

 to move in.

I hope you are enjoying

 the way that June is bustin' out

 in your gardens, 

I have seen a lot of them

 and they are beautiful.

The Chinese Lanterns 

are setting buds now and really filling in taking over

 as we were warned.

  But that is how we do things around here 

and what a scene we will have

 come autumn.

A worry-less garden

 may not be for everyone,

as it is bustin' out of its seams,

 but for us

 it does just fine.

A Happy Week to everyone, 

and I hope that June 

is hugging the bejeepers out of you 

with all its glory.

...Judy...

 

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