Eleven Years

Such busy days ... yesterday was our 11th year wedding anniversary!  I came home to flowers, a very special letter and quiche for dinner.  

Thank you, Clint!

Some Silliness on a Saturday

Easter weekend I was making potato salad.  I was cutting up a green pepper when I noticed
this horned green monster with ghastly teeth and gaping mouth staring back at me.

Honestly, I could not have "sculpted' this from that green pepper if I had tried.  :~D

Snow Scenes from February 2014

It has been so long since I have posted anything on my blog.  We have actually enjoyed seeing the snow.  I stayed up a little later last night.  Last night I made a couple of photos from our front porch and our deck out back.  It was surprising this morning to awaken to much deeper snow than last night.  I feel a little isolated where we live because of a lack of sidewalks.  I have always been a walker and can't walk anywhere around here except on our little lane, our dead end lane.

Not to be deterred and equipped with my camera, I put on Clint's new warm hooded jacket and headed out for a walk this morning. One can almost say, most of the photos shown here were 

made in my "own back yard" ... meaning our little lane.

Last night I was playing around with my new camera.  It was pouring
down snow in this photo.  This was made from our
deck out back.

Last night while stepping out on our front porch and leaning over a bit,
 I captured this scene from our neighbor's front yard.

I crouched down under our mail box for this design. :-)

The entrance to our lane.

   

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After I returned from my walk, I saw this hawk in a far away tree from our living room.



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Frozen Bubbles

It seems like such a simple and fun project.  Making frozen bubbles.  It was not simple at all.  I experimented with soap, corn syrup and water.  One of the biggest problems was the wind.  Clint was reminding me he could not control the wind (really, Clint?) when I asked him to turn a little to the left while blowing. Before long Clint said he could not remember having so much fun. At this point we both were laughing. Oh yes, one has to remember it was only 9 degrees outside. 
                                                                                                                                                                  I could only imagine a conversation from one of our neighbors:   Mom, what are those two old people doing over there on that deck?

Chirpee was very happy when the bubble making fun ended,
we were disturbing him from our deck.

A Few Holiday Memories

A few nights ago I took a stroll down our lane and made

a few photos of  Christmas lights.

On our way to church on December 15, 2013.  Yes,
it was very early.

We actually enjoyed eating breakfast
at Shoney's on New Year's Day.

It was 18 degrees this morning in Knoxville, TN.

Oops!   A strobe effect.  Oh well, I
am learning to use my new camera.

Clint was up in the wee hours Christmas morning
reading a special book gift from his 91 year old mother!

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Scenes From the Past Week

This Christmas Flower was in the
window at church Tuesday.

Lots of rain today.

More rain today.

Loved the glowing bushes at the entrance to our cul-de-sac.

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Mouse in the House!

The only thing missing is a witch in the sky!

Last night I stayed up a little later since we had decided we were not attending church this morning.  I decided to relax a little before bed, "later" for me was about 8:30 PM.  I sat on the sofa in the spot Clint usually occupies and did some drawing.  I then checked the night sky and it looked quite fitting for Halloween week, the only thing missing was a witch silhouette flying across the sky on her broom.
I went out on the deck and made the photo above.

Back to sitting on the sofa and watching some kind of true crime story on tv,  a movement caught my eye near our fern plant in the living room.  I then reasoned I had just imagined it, that it was nothing.  A few seconds later I could have sworn I saw a small dark shadow streak by the base board from the fern plant to under the tv stand which is a piece of wooden furniture.  At this point I was troubled and wondered if I was hallucinating, I knew I was exhausted.  Maybe it was one of my eye floaters that had made me think I had seen a movement.  Perhaps it had been caused by a reflection on the glass top coffee table.  I finally told myself it was caused by the tv images being reflected on the glass table top.

Flash forward to about 6:30 am when Clint and I hear some different kinds of noises in the kitchen.  Our ice maker makes all kinds of strange sounds, the most common one is of a frog croaking. (I kid you not, found this out by Googling Amana refrigerator frog sounds)  Clint and I agreed the sounds were different for sure this particular time.  A few minutes later we heard the tell-tale crinkling sounds coming from the kitchen.  I confess at this point I had not shared with Clint me seeing movement in the living room the night before.  Clint then said what I had feared, "It sounds almost like there is a rodent in the house."  At this point I am thinking that sure enough, it was a MOUSE!  A RAT!  I had seen a rat in the house!  I told Clint what I had seen the night before, somehow I thought if I did not share it with him earlier, it would have gone away.  I know, totally illogical.

This morning we bought some traps and hope they work tonight.  Just a few minutes ago Clint found "signs" of the mouse near the fire place.  I know this blog is much about nothing but I am petrified of mice and I have warned Clint that if he hears me scream, it will mean I have run across the mouse.

Dear readers, please don't get me wrong, it's not all mice that I detest.  We even have a special mouse in our home, he now graces our mantle.  I just snapped his photo to prove my point.  He sat on Clint's mother's grandfather clock for years and has great sentimental value.

How gross!  Hopefully by tomorrow this will no longer be your home!

The ONLY mouse who is welcomed in our home.

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