Still Touring Fox River Grove, IL....

...the community began life as a recreation / vacation town for wealthy Chicagoan at the end of the 19th Century. Lots of the homes we saw were renovated, weatherized former-summer homes. Above, the home fronts on the river side park, just a stone's throw from shore. I like the poach on second house: you could sit on the open porch and enjoy the view unblocked by porch rails; originally it lacked the second story.

This One is Handsome, as well....

...messy, adorable and full-grown now. It's Blonde Guy at about 15-mos. Happy Birthday! He is now 26.

Handsome....

...reliable, plucky, alert, dependable, bright, solid, strong, helpful, neat, colorful, good sense of humor, attractive, firm....sounds like the ideal man, right? Did I mention adorable? Please welcome: the fire hydrant in the river-side park in Fox River Grove, IL! ....and MellowYellow, of course.   Hope he gets a fresh coat of paint soon.

Another Unique Pet was Sighted in Fox River Grove...

...or is this Jurassic Grove?

Cabin-Fever of 104--We were Owly...

....Auntie Blogs' and Uncle Hubsy even exhanged cross words lately, we felt stifled! Today we planned to go photo-hunting around the Fox River Valley west of us. First, we visited Bloggsy's 91-year-old father at his assisted living. It was a good thing we did, as he was about to suffer a diabetic low-blood sugar incident! After he was fully awakened, blood-sugar tested and fortified with lemon-aid, a couple of Jr. Mints, then a solid lunch and meds, he was doing well again! ( I called several times thru out the afternoon and he continued strong and well.)

We took a winding stroll with our cameras around the unique village of Fox River Grove, IL. So rustic a place that deer were lounging on a lawn not far from the village center; can't believe I got this one in mid-air!

Not a Thought in My Head Today....

...so let's climb in the Time Machine; we can go back one year and revisit some of Flowergirl's Moments of
Camera-Ready personality. She staged the middle portrait. It's called "Me and My Monkeys". The young lady is now in Kindergarten and has written her first book: "The latty with to mene pet.s". She can't help it, she loves animals.

Thanks for the Inspiration...

.....Lily at Long Island Daily Photo: A Floral Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor...I noticed while googling around last might at her 3rd husband, Michael Todd, was killed in a fiery plane crash on March 22, 1958. I remember the incident, since it was widely reported. Even at age 9, I was a news-junky. She missed the anniversary of his passing by only an hour or so, but her funeral, it is reported, will be today--the 53rd anniversary of his funeral. There was an exquisite black-and-white family photo of the two of them with their baby daughter. I can't help wondering if her life might have been much different if not for that tragedy.

Cheating...

...this is a BB'Blog Recyled photo from last year.    It snowed a bit tonight, so tomorrow there may be snow around the snowdrops....not that I'm happy about that.

People, We Finally Have Snowdrops...

...not a fabulous photo, but you can see the varieties I have in the yard.

The "Before" Picture...

...just a few little green things poked their noses above the ground; it's still frosty. It's too early for Daylight Savings Time (do they still call it that?) It feels wrong. Anyway, this is the yard "without makeup" in the early days of Spring, 2011.

Alice and July Turned Up Again on Friday...

...it was their Mommy's last day at work. Now that they are moving, they will have the luxury of Full-Time Staff (Mommy) to care for them. July almost smiled at me; Alice practices the art of Quiet Charm with the help of Big Blue Eyes.

4lbs of Carrots from the Garden...

...harvested 2 days ago. The grow-tunnels kept them warm enough. They hung out and chilled all winter till we could get to them. Today, Hubs' got another 2-3lbs; those await my attention in the kitchen.

A Sweet New Dawn...

...bittersweet, actually. Just a week ago the world was rocked by the 9.0 earthquake and the tsunamai that resulted. All week, as well, I was conscious and disturbed about the Libyan fighters and civilians who were killed while the world stood around. And the Fogel family in Israel--a massacre of a young family! We'd all love to see better times. SkyWatch Friday

Happy St. Pat's Day....

...there's green stuff growing under the grow-tunnel. Spinach, kale and claytonia are alive and kickin' in the garden. The winter was difficult, yet here we are with the beginnings of some greens in March.  Also, he dug 4lbs of carrots out the garden last night. We ate some for dinner.

Please Note:...

....today, March 16, is the first time I'm able to go outside without a coat or jacket and still be comfortable.
It's about 65F out there now. It's 70F under Hubsy's grow-tunnel.

Hey, Thanks for Stopping by...

Aunt Bloggsy just loves her daily visitors! I check the Maploco gadget regularly; the other day I was happy to notice that "B3"'s had views from every continent except Antarctica (with the view that came from Algeria !). Besides friends and family, it's fun to give friends and family of our neighbors' an extra look around our world! Best of all I enjoy it when I see that "1" visit from a random location turns to "2" and more! Thank you, again!

That Fun-Food---Asparagus...

Young Alice and her Grandpa remind me of Lady and the Tramp here. She's having fun and eating something nourishing at the same time.          In other "Alice" news, her Daddy has big new responsibilities at his job! The family is moving to a city about 3 hours away, so he can do his new assignment. Grandpa and Grandma will be able to see the girls pretty easily, but will miss the quick, casual visits. Fortunately, they have the the twins nearby.  

July in March...

Yesterday, I had a chance for a short visit with little Alice and her baby sister July, now about 8 months old.
From her photos, she appears to be a "serious" baby, but not so! She smiles and points and waves and makes cute little noises. Her eyes are an amazing color, dark but not quite brown...violet?

Bloggsy Haz a Question....

...Why does a certain cat, shown above, always wait until after she eats to cough up the hairball? And then, how does she know that making the deposit on the bed, the quilt, the sofa or the rug is so much more difficult to clean up than the bare floor? Do they teach this procedure in Kitty-Kollege? Is the chapter called "Creative Deployment of Bio-hazard Material"? What?

Bloggsy's 2-Cents....

With all the man-made and natural disaster lighting up the headlines, devastation, ruin and suffering so obvious to see: Maybe that A$$ Charlie Sheen will at least SHUT UP! Maybe do something helpful?

Strange Sunset Photo for a Strange Day....

trouble, trouble everywhere, it seems.

2 X 2 = Fun + It Takes a Set of Twins to Raze a Village...

....so, it was Micah and Molly's second birthday party a while back. Their Mommy worked and planned for days to make it perfect! That Train Cake was made from a family recipe so old that my Gardener friend had never made the cake herself. I might get a copy of the recipe--maybe I'll make a Train Cake for Hubsy since he's wild about Trains. I didn't hear whether Micah chimed in with his Accidental Potty-Mouth. The new favorite word is "naked". In recently released video, the kids bounced off one another and the walls, saying words that they know and planning trips to go see grandma and grandpa. By themselves and on foot. And between them, they can "pick" baby door-protectors. Hmmmmm.

Lady R. Has a Matter for the Complaint Dept. At Barbbblog!

Please remember, Lady R.  is the first and original "encourager" of the B'Blog, so if she is not Happy! with her blog-viewing, the staff has a bad day around here!

So here's the deal: Lady R. feels that the small girl in my "picture of the year for 2010" looks unhappy and distressed; Lady R. is a devoted Grandma and she does not like to see children upset!!


Here is the entire photo, in context. The photo was taken near a "water feature" statue ensemble at The Grove in Los Angeles in Spring 2010. It was only after I got home and studied it that I saw that the baby wanted the "statue-child" to give her a drink from the water hose, too. Do other toddlers react this way, I wonder? The design of the statue-art "works", since this little girl was totally drawn into the "life" of the setting.

Two of My Favorite People....

You may remember the young man who filled our house with evocative fiddle music last Christmas. He is the son of college-days' friends of mine; he's been an Eagle Scout for several years now. Look at that happy smile! He participated in a Friends of Scouting Dinner in his local area; he was lucky enough to be seated near President Bush and got the chance to have a conversation. ...... (and, Yes: We Miss Him! That's my 2-cents.)

Resorting to Cat Photos again....

...Bloggsy's Blogging Blah's persist. Nothing like the spirit crushing exercise we call Tax Preperation, piled on top of a difficult winter, etc. Seems to stifle the creative urges (fortunately, not everyone is like me in this respect.) So I was glad to see my two cats doing something unique to them: getting along and sleeping close together. Never happens; only when Scotchie, (L) gets bored and decides to go bother Hobbes, on the right, are they this close--just before the screaming cat fight starts.