AUGUST REVIEW IN PHOTOS
Sam and his friend, Cody, after a tiring game of badminton... and the geese in the background had kept them company most of the day, but all left a few days later.
Sam and his friend, Zack, spent a fun day at the county fair.
I have been spending a little bit of time over at my folks' on the West 20, where the plant life is lush and the wildlife abundant. They have something like 3 doe that have twin fawns and a couple of doe with single fawns. The kids and I came across this doe & her twins.
We also came across some beautiful wild flowers. Like this cardinal flower that stands out in all the greenery.
Gorgeous.
There are a lot of clumps of wild delphiniums this year, too.
The fungi have been loving this hot, humid August weather. This is a photo of something my Mom said she thought is called "Devil's Angels" and it's a very poisonous fungi. It was there one day and gone the next... there wasn't even any remains of it... like it turned to dust and was gone. My photos all turned out imperfect, so I wanted to get another shot... too late. So here's the best of what I took.
My sister, Janet's, pole barn has a beautiful flower border.
I tried to get photos of some of the beautiful hummingbirds at my folks' but none worthy of posting. Will try again... But I did get this shot of one of my very favorite birds, a Mourning Dove.
And while shooting photos of the hummingbirds, I saw this guy. I remember as a kid trying to catch these little lizards, and the first time one's tail came off, I freaked. They grow back. Or so I'm told.
The apple trees are producing well... here's one of our winesaps.
And the peach trees I planted last year are giving us peaches, too.
Tons of wild blackberries.
And one big spider made a home near my front porch. The web was very large, about 18 inches wide and over 2 feet long.
There was a weird extra heavy duty weaving down the middle... I don't think I've ever seen a spider web with that in it before. I wonder what it's about, why the spider did that...
I think spider webs are beautiful. Though, I would be the first to admit that I am not a fan of spiders... they kind of give me the creeps. I see no reason to change that opinion.
But I like catepillars. I found this guy on the bottom of a chewed-upon milkweed leaf.
Oh, so many more photos I could share... I've taken about 800 photos this month alone, and that doesn't count the "Annual Homes & Gardens Tour" photos.
THE REST OF THE STORY
My Uncle Joe, my Dad's younger brother, died this month. It was unexpected. He had surgery a while ago and was recovering slowly, but his death did not seem eminent. Uncle Joe died peacefully in his sleep at home of heart failure. He was 74 years old.
I haven't seen very much of Uncle Joe for quite some time. I remember more times with Uncle Joe and Aunt Lorene from when I was a kid. I also remember when I saw him a few years ago, after not seeing him for a very long time, and I was surprised at how much he looked and sounded like my daddy. My Dad is the middle brother, and he's 76; Uncle Don is 78.
Uncle Joe was, and his family are, very fervent Baptists. That was some funeral. Long and lots of Amens and pounding on the pulpit and shouts of Hellfire threats. I have to say it wasn't to my taste. Don't care much for being threatened. I'm sure the pastor is a good person and all that, but really... I feel that such judgmental attitudes just don't seem very Christian. The pastor told some story about just being in NYC and seeing 3 teenagers on the subway "dressed in the way of the world" (which I'm pretty sure was Not Good), and then he went on to say they were "be-bopping" (yes, he used that word) to music plugged into their ears, and how it was Such a Shame those teenagers are so unaware of God and Christ in their world. WTF?!! He saw them on a subway, and by this he somehow was able to ascertain the 3 "worldly" teenagers are destined for Hell. For all he knew, they may have just come from volunteering at the local homeless shelter. But they were dressed in a manner of which he did not approve and they were dancing, so thus, they deserve damnation. What an asshole.
It was so bizarre... feeling so sad and mournful about the loss of Uncle Joe, but feeling so disgusted by the sermon and all the congregation there agreeing with their outspoken, "Amen, Brother" and "Yes, Pastor, Amen" etc etc etc... ad naseum.
Those of you who are fortunate enough, like me, to have a Dad who is wonderful and lovable, go now, and hug your Dad or call him and tell him you love him. If you, like my cousins, have lost your Dad, tell him you love him anyway.
FOOTBALL
Can't not mention football! August starts the football season. Practices are in full swing, and Sam's new, white practice football pants are no longer, and never will be again, that white.
My 11-year-old son needed new cleats... and we had to buy him size 11.5! Men's size 11.5... our big-footed boy.
PLANTINGS
We've been finishing up some landscaping around the homestead. Well, really, it's been mostly Kev. Lots of new hostas. Love those plants. We also tore everything off my rock garden, and I once again can actually see the rocks. Looks so nice. The ajuga had covered it like a green carpet. I got some half-dead marigolds for next to nothing ($2 a flat), and once I put them in the dirt, they perked right up. I bought some cardinal flowers to plant near our pond, and some Russian Sage, and other perennials. And I recently stopped by Lowe's again and got quart-size potted perennials, many kinds, for forty-nine cents each. Forty-nine cents. Wowza. Home Depot had some beautiful plants, same size, on sale for $2.50 each... but I got them to match Lowe's price, so I bought some at each place & drove home with 120 plants. Yessiree.
And now, do yourself a big favor and click the link to Chelle Belle and read her "Welcome Back!" post.
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