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...

 

Sharing today with:

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A SWEET AND HAPPY DAY...

 

REMEMBER

 ALL WHO HAVE SACRIFICED...

Saturday was Tami's birthday. 

 She had to work on her birthday

 so she and Tim drove up to the Cottage on Sunday. 

 Jake and Jacenda came from San Francisco 

and they all arrived around 10 AM.  

We had a really great visit,

 the first one since Christmas of 2019.  

We had seen each other at our SIL memorial service

 but that was for just a short time

 and we were all masked up.

It was also a celebration for Jacenda's graduation.

I had this post planned out a few days ago

 and I was planning on showing all the food that we all contributed to the day 

but, of course, we were so involved in

 talking and catching up

 that we had eaten the whole dinner before 

I realized that I didn't take any photos.  

Tami and Tim brought 

home made tamales, Spanish rice 

and all the toppings to go with it. 

 Jake and Jacenda brought dessert.

 They chose a mixture of all good sweets from the oldest bakery in San Francisco.

 We each had a taste of a different dessert. 

 The Captain and I only contributed 

a green salad and green beans.  

Tami also brought this darling little whimsy

 that you see (above) to me.  

We sure did have a good celebration 

but it seems like the guests provided

 more than the host and hostess! 

 How did we get so lucky

 to have the kids that we do?

It is the first time 

I have decorated a table for guests in a long time. 

It was done very simply 

leaving the food and the people as the actual stars

along with the napkin rings!

The seats of honor...

for the Birthday Girl and the Nurse Graduate.

I hope you all had 

a festive and fun filled holiday with your families. 

 All I can say is

 how good it is

 to be together again.

Everyone had to be back to work 

and Bo, Rosie and the cats were holding down the fort in Santa Cruz, 

so it was a short visit...

just one day,

 one that was wonderful and so fulfilling 

after such a long time apart,

 a very sweet and happy day.

Finally, the last iris has opened up.

 A light lavender with orange throat.

 Really beautiful.

Have a wonderful week.

...Judy...

    Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

Keep In Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles

BIG THANKS ALL AROUND...

 

We are getting

 a little closer to Memorial Day 

and the celebrations that come during the year 

from this day forward.

At first there is thanks

 for the men and women that keep us safe 

in this great country and the beautiful colors that signify that. 

 It continues on with Independence Day celebrations. 

 These are all things 

that we as citizens of these United States 

are thankful for.

We are also thankful for our families. 

Starting off all the celebrations is Tami's birthday.

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

 Tami and Tim are empty nesters now

 and beginning to have the time and money 

to do the things that we all look forward to in life.  

Jake and Jacenda are now both done with college.

 Jake already has a great job

 and Jacenda will soon have one.  

Young lives full of hope and promise just getting started

. 

 The Captain and I 

are both healthy and at our age that is saying something.

  We are putting our home and garden

 in shape for an enjoyable summer.

  Robin is dealing 

with the loss of her teeth like a champ 

and her biopsy came back clear. 

 She hasn't got a care in the world.

 Kai is older

 and has a few issues 

but he loves his Papa so all is right with his world.

 

 We are truly thankful

 for all those reasons.

I am so thankful for my girlfriends 

who have not forgotten me 

and whom I will join for lunch the next time out. 

 I am thankful for all the friends

 that I have made through blogging 

and for their return of kindness 

whether it be good words or in letting me copy their ideas.

  I am really thankful for the vaccine 

and the chance it gives us all

 to lead a great life

 (please wear a mask indoors until we all are vaccinated). 

 I just couldn't resist that,

 old habits die hard.

As it pertains to blogging,

 I am now going to probably embarrass

 one good lady that I'm sure we all know. 

 As you are aware

 they are once again changing how we blog. 

 For those of us (like me) that are truly challenged 

when it comes to the technical aspect of blogging, 

whenever this happens I just want to stay in bed with my covers over my head. 

 Once I have learned the technique, then blogging is a job that I love. 

 I want my blog to look good 

and I want it to he helpful, 

or at the very least, enjoyable for someone else to read. 

 I don't just type it and put it out.  

I agonize over it to be sure that each word is spelled correctly 

and the photos are right for the wording.  

Throw a wrench in the works and I am useless. 

 This is where this part of the story begins: 

 

Linda at  Life and Linda

 wrote a post explaining what the change was 

and said she would be willing to help anyone that needed it. 

 I'm sure you have noticed that this is what she says each time Blogger throws something at us.

  Well, I took her at her word 

and asked for help with changing how we transition from FeedBurner

 to a new way of receiving notifications of  posts in our inboxes 

and, let me tell you, she earned her money dealing with me! 

  She is so patient and understanding.

 I have already said that I am totally challenged in this area 

so I won't bore you with all the details. 

 Poor Linda 

spent time shooting off e-mails to me, 

sometimes way more than once 

before I could grasp their meaning

 and talking on the phone to further help me.  

She really knows what she is doing 

and does make a very pretty job of it. 

 She is not known as the Fairy BlogMother for nothing! 

 Finally, I got it together and she was able to perform a miracle. 

 If any of you are struggling with this change, 

I'm sure Linda would be happy to hear from you. 

 In the process we had to switch my subscribers to another place 

and  in so doing found a lot of addresses that were, 

shall we say, lacking in good judgement, 

which I do not want associated with my blog so they were deleted.  

Not purposefully, but by accident, 

there may have been some of you that were deleted also 

because we only have addresses to look at, not names.  

I publish at 10:00 AM every Tuesday morning, 

so if you do not get notice of that in your inbox, 

just sign up again

 on the pretty new form that Linda included on my right sidebar 

and you will be reinstated immediately 

and I apologize in advance if this happens.  

Thanks again, Linda, 

I so appreciate it and am thankful for you as a friend also.

Your expertise is beyond compare
 and you make what seems like hard work
 a joyful experience.

In closing,

 I will say that now I am thankful for 

the bit of decorating I have done so far 

in celebration of the up coming holidays 

so there will be only a few things to add next time.

Have a wonderful week.

...Judy...

This is the iris

 that I showed you last week. 

 Now that it has bloomed I am not sure if the color is bronze, yellow or peach

but I think it is very beautiful.

 Any of you experts let me know what you think. 

 The purple one is still just in bud.

 If it changes I will show you that next week. 

Sharing this week with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda