2011: The Year in Review...

January 2011: ...or lots of reasons why my niece, Flowergirl is very fortunate; a full-time, hand-on, engaged homemaker-style Mom. Oh, she'll probably go back to work-outside-the-home sometime, but for now, it's spotless house, delicious meals, care of pets, care of family, purposeful reasoned plans for FG's days, lessons and you name it. She can cook like an Angel, if an Angel cooks. She will teach FG to cook from scratch with real ingredients in a real kitchen!  If you are ever invited for a meal, don't miss it.

A Squirrel's Tale...

 ...underneath the sunflower seed feeder, the ground birds and animals rumage among the hulls for whole seeds. Squirrels, chipmunks, the voles that live beneath the deck and even possums and racoons at night can be seen...

...for the past week or so, we've noticed this squirrel; see how he's carrying--or dragging--his tail? He's hurt: either a fall or a run-in with a predator or grazed by a car. At first, he was literally dragging his leg as well. He was unable to hop, since he had no power from his rear legs. I figured him for a goner.

...but he keeps hoppling back to the feeder, even hassling other squirrels as they compete for food. I saw him today; he was wet and bedraggled with the rain we have now, but eating. He appears to be recovering the use of the leg; tail still drags.

Holiday Whiskas--I mean Wishes--from the Cats...

"Happy Thanksgiving from the pet cats of the 'Blogger. Being Scotchie and Hobbes may look easy to you: we doze, show up for meals and visit the litter regularly. The humans who help us are quiet people, some may say too quiet, but here's the rub for us Cats: Two days a year--Thanksgiving and Christmas--pandemomium (or all hell) breaks out around here. PEOPLE - many people; 20? Feet! And did you know that for some reason little children like to chase us? Well, one of us. Hobbes heads for a shelf in a bedroom closet and that's all, folks....Well, we suppose it's what's called a Happy Problem. Have a Great American Thanksgiving."

It's Ok to Sip a Chardonnay When You Read This Book...

A month or so ago  I lamented that I could not find anything I wanted to read--and I need a book to be "in" at all times, in order to be happy! In my public library's used book funder-store, I found a nice old-fashioned copy of a little American cult classic called Winesburg Ohio by Sherwood Anderson--which I read as a high-school girl (tho not for school); thoroughly did not understand the book at that time!

 So, Sherwood Anderson was a bit of an odd-duck. Born about 1876, he grew up and was influenced by childhood memories of the town he and his mother lived: real-life Clyde, OH. He married, had kids and ran a production factory in Northern Ohio,(and wrote some) got to near middle age and just left it all and went to booming, early 20th century Chicago, lived in a boarding house and suddenly one night poured out this elegant little book....

 ...made up of a series of loosely interconnected stories or literary portraits of people who lived in and around his remembered but imaginary town. Each of these characters might today be considered--maybe neurotic--Anderson called them "grotesques", since they attached themselves to too many or incorrect "truths". The literary device he uses to help tie it all together is the main character, young, coming-of-age George Willard, who lives with his dying Mother and business-obsessed Father in the hotel the family runs. George works for the towns little newspaper, so he gets to run around town all day and night learning of the quirks of the quirky townfolk.  The first story, Hands, came to my attention just as the Penn State Child Sex Scandal hit the headlines. Strange.

The out-lying countryside is wonderfully described in simple, clear detail In the first few stories the author will suddenly break away from the subject at hand to inform his readers about rural American life in the long ago days just after the American Civil War---and he's writing for my Grandparents' generation. The presence of passenger rail as an everyday item is richly portrayed.  Right up my alley, in other words. About 3/4 thru the book, suddenly all these disjointed stories meld in the readers mind. Cool. It just suddenly jells as a continuous piece, colorizes itself. Neat book, not always easy to read because some of the people are so crackers.  Anderson personally influenced Faulkner, Hemingway etc. I'm such a fan of Wm. Faulkner and I can see that without Anderson, he may not have come up with that difficult classic, The Sound and the Fury.      So what happened to Anderson? Typical early 20th Century artistic flame-out: he swallowed a toothpick likely concealed in a martini olive and it punctured his intestine and he died of infection. This was 1941 and they didn't have as many antibiotics and medical techniques.

My Brand New Best Friend....

 The Red-Bellied Woodpecker returned again yesterday at least twice during the bright, sunny day, so I was able to enjoy the glowing warm orangy-red of it's head, the precise, tailored patterns of it's wings...

...much better that the last photo I took, on a brief fly-by a year or so ago in the grey snow. "Goodness, he certainly brightens up my day!" exclaimed Grandma.... Bird watching is much cooler than it sounds but I always feel like a dusty old fossil when I talk about it.

...Here's his rear-end as he jumped off the feeder, spread his strong wings, caught the air and swooped away across the yard. Today, the bird was back about half-a-dozen times; must like this restaurant! I'm so happy!  It wants to be a CameraCritter, too.

Last Roses of Summer 2011....

...Hugh Hefner was not involved, but the Ladies graciously agreed to pose among the leavings of my new plant obession, the Coral Bells and a hosta. The roses are now gracefully aging in a bud vase on my kitchen window sill. Today's Flowers and Shadow Shot Sunday.

Sunrise to Sunset...and an Autumn Day Walk....

 ....sunrise is late in the morning, deep in the Southeastern sky...the light is slanted all day, with long shadows...

 ...I've walked these neighborhood streets a thousand times, no doubt...nothing new? nothing to see? hardly.

 ....whimsy in the neighborhood, a few streets away...

...then Mr. Sun dips brightly into the Southwest, leaving us for another day. SkyWatch Friday

No Snow Yet...

...This is a photo from last winter, when a Red-Bellied Woodpeck came to eat at the feeder. Tho I was unable to get a new picture, I had another visit from the species two days ago. The birds are fairly large and noticable when they visit.----I call this "Old Lady Fun".

Two Birthdays on the Same Day....

                                                    Flowergirl is 7 today--here's a "Hatchling" Picture

 ....a tadpole, really. Just days old. Her Mom, with special, tender care, right from the start.....

 ....a particularly nice photo from her "one's". Pink is her favorite color....

..... playing with her younger cousin at a family event.

 ..."me and my monkeys" from a few years back.....

 .....with Mom and Dad at First Ballet Recital....

 ....at the Rehearsal Event for her cousin's wedding. Second Flowergirl duty, performed well.....

 ....glad for her new dog, Edie. We played with her Barbies this summer when I babysit......
Happy Birthday, Flowergirl. We will celebrate after your "kids party".

 ...she shares a birthday with "uncle Hubs". When she was a baby, she called him "the boy". Happy Birthday, Hubsy.



Sometimes The Magic Works....

...you point the camera and capture something interesting, unusual, lovely, odd, scandalous, weird, one-of-a-kind. This is just one confused little goldfinch, after Hubs took the screen down from the window. It was fluttering around, trying to see what I was doing in here. The radial shaped paper thing taped to the window is to help the birds see there is a barrier. Otherwise, they try to come crashing in---some of them, anyway---I'd rather they didn't kill themselves at the feeding station.    Crap, that window is dirty; that is one way that you know when you are my house--but the food is good. He's a Camera Critter now.

"Ethel and Lucy's" Magical Tour....

....the adventure is nearing  completion as I write; Lady R and L'il Pearl's Mom are winging their way home. There will be photos, there will be stories. This was Lady R's first visit to Israel, tho Pearl's Mom's 3rd trip.

32 Years...Happy Birthday, Brown-Eyes.

                                          1986, typical antics, with baby-brother Blonde-Kid

                                                 Recent times, with new wife, Amethyst.

On a walk in Charlotte last spring, with Hubs.

(Blessed: Two Great Sons, each with a wonderful Wife.)

Other Halloween Headlines.....

 ...with lots of "borrowed" photos from other peoples' FB pages...

...now, we might have thought that Molly might have come up with something really scary for Halloween, but here's the heart and soul of the little sweetheart all decked out as HappyFeet--what a smile!

...Hire This Contractor and he will knock some Home Depot Heads if they don't have the blippin' drywall here by 7AM--little Micah.

                                                    The twins are such good little friends

                               Alice and her sister in their new home with all their Halloween finery

                                                             Hello. I can Fly....

                   Me Too, don't know what's happening yet, but it's fun. Don't know how cute I am either.
                                        

This is Munchkin' of Omaha NE, Who is Officially the Halloween "Caller of Quits". It's over, get over it, it's in the can for another year. "Get Me Out of This Pumpkin Suit."

Inwhich We Review The History of FlowerGirl's Halloweens...

 ...Halloween is such a special time of freaky indulgence for kids and grown-ups alike; I try not to miss...

                                     
 ....last year, you may recall, The 'Girl was forced to miss the festivities, while seriously portraying a character of misery, illness and near-death (not really). She had beast of flu and she was a mess; a sad, sick little mess...

 ...But Wham! Yesterday She was Back with a Vengence! She popped in the door, home from school and already full of candy from the school's party and parade. I don't know what she "is"--maybe skeleton Lady Gaga?

 ...the full force and power of the "Sugar-Fuelled" Horror!!!

 ...back to Serene Little Angel once again, more comfortable without the wig, appreciating her little pumpkin...

 ...Edie, the dog, has a costume this year too. So they got Mom and Dad and all went out to collect the candy....but, seriously, by this time Edie really needed to go out for a potty-break; trouble was she was so excited by all the little hellions outside that she could not "produce". Later, my brother took the dog out again. And The 'Girl--for a second round of Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween From FlowerGirl!!