The Great Outdoors

Hobbes: the great outdoors man

Another cow hiding in the pasture:

Cow lieing in pasture:

The neighbor's pond:

View through my kitchen window

View looking through my laundry room window
(please disregard cobwebs!)

Fun Monday

Outdoors cat: Marsipan

Outdoors cat: Minnie

For you Ree readers, "the house of Addy"

Our 27 year old oak tree. A beauty.

The gazing ball into my future: it's beautiful blue! Perhaps you can see my reflection.

Here lie the pink flamingos.


This is what The Dust Will Wait has to say for today's Fun Monday:
I want to see what you see on any given morning this week; from somewhere very near where you live. Front porch, back porch, down the street, around the corner. Just make sure it's your neighborhood. Post a photo that will send me to the travel agent to book a weekend at your local Bed & Breakfast. Write a little or write a lot. Have fun.

This is the view of the road to our house. A view of the sky from our yard. I had to go to the dentist this morning, so I will edit this post later if I get a chance. I'm back from the dentist with a new crown. Not the kind you wear on your head though, the awesome one that goes in your mouth!!

Invisible Children of Uganda

Please watch this...

Invisible Children: The Proof 2006

Please watch this and think about what you could do to help.

Horses, Caves, White Water, & Family

Who would have thought that the Arkansas River could be so lively? We rafted in May and the water was cold, about 50 degrees. We had wet suits on, but after beginning the trip, it all seemed fine. Our guide instructed us exactly what to do and when to do it and we obeyed!!! She told us we were good too. Ha ha. Just look at us! I had the time of my life. I never laughed so hard, all the way. I'm ready to go again. The water was up that day and we had all Class III's and two Class IV's that day.

This cave was beautiful. I was amazed at the variety of things to see and do in Colorado.

Horse-back riding in the mountains, yes, it was rocky but much fun. We rode for two hours which was a little hard on bottoms that aren't used to riding. I rode horses as a young girl, but only once since I've been married. That's a 32 year span of time.

Don Henley........ The Heart Of The Matter

It's about forgiveness...

Cousins

Yesterday was Caleb's 17th birthday. He is the one with red hair. This was taken several years ago in our backyard. These cousins had great fun together and they still do. I love this picture. The boy on the left is Daniel. He and Caleb are my brother Kenny's sons. That's my son John in the middle. Daniel and John are now 21 years old. Daniel is the youth leader and youth music leader at his church. My brother Kenny is the pastor. Caleb plays the drums for the music team.

Isn't Green Beautiful?

It has been a beautiful day here. I finally got my work done and went outside to snap some pictures. When I was young, I did not enjoy all the seasons like I do now. I was mainly interested in spring and summer. The rainy days made me depressed. I guess it's that syndrome. But now, I appreciate every day no matter the weather. It's all good. It's all subject to change. Every season passes in 3 months or so and a new one appears. Just like life. The picture of moss I call "Grandma Moss." Not because that's the name, but because it came from my grandma's yard. I have kept it alive over 26 years or so. I love it. It reminds me of my grandma Lola. She loved flowers and cactuses. She grew poppies in her garden. I'll post a picture sometime of her. Isn't it tremendous the things that remind you of someone you love?

Sisters, does it get any better than this?

Of course, there is brother in some of these pictures too. They do grow up!!!

Cobalt blue in my window

Cobalt blue is the most mesmerizing color in the world. I collect these blue bottles when I can. Seeing the light reflect on them gives me a happy feeling. It's almost as good as the color green. Coming later today, a post about family resemblances...

Zesty Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (I cut into bite-size pieces)
1 pound small red potatoes, cut in quarters
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
chopped fresh chives, if desired
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease jelly roll pan. (I use olive oil)
2. Place chicken and potatoes in pan. Mix remaining ingredients except chives; brush over chicken and potatoes.
3. Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers
of thickest pieces are cut. Sprinkle with chives.
I usually mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl to coat everything before roasting. This is such an easy meal served
with a Caesar salad and crusty baked bread. My family loves it.

The FarSide

This is one of my favorite comic strips. I also love Ziggy and Calvin and Hobbes. You'll probably have to click on the picture to enlarge it enough to read it. The Lone Ranger learns the sad truth.

Alaskan Cruise

For our 30th wedding anniversary, we took a cruise to Alaska with some friends from church who also were celebrating their anniversaries too. It was the best trip ever. 7 days and nights of luxury! I would recommend this cruise to everyone. Alaska is breath-taking. The mountains, the glaciers, wildlife, the ocean, Alaska has it all. We went in July which is the warmest month and the best weather. It was 50-60 degrees. Beautiful. We traveled on the Diamond Princess which was new that year and they had the best service and food. I tried everything, wild Alaskan salmon, lobster tail, grilled shrimp, prime rib, everything imaginable. The best part was being on the promenade deck and watching the ocean and sky. You felt like every care in the world was gone away. The glacial water was 1000 feet deep and so blue green. The trees were spectacular.

Toasted marshmallows

I laugh at myself or with myself all the time! You should be there. I'm funny. I must be my biggest fan 'cause I crack myself up daily or perhaps nightly. I have never used my cooktop flame to toast marshmallows, but for some reason I thought of it last night. They were so cute and little, those marshmallows. I only ate a few, but they were yummy.

Diddle diddle dumpling

My son, John. It's hard to believe that my little boy could have grown up. He's a good one. There was a time he would pose for pictures, but now it's very hard to get a photo. Kinda like pulling teeth.

Beauty Tips borrowed from humbleorigins@blogspot.com

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people . For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others...

...Audrey Hepburn wrote the above when asked to share her "beauty tips." It was read at her funeral years later"...
A thought borrowed from humbleorigins@blogspot.com, I hope she doesn't mind. I read this quote from Audrey Hepburn to my ladies in Sunday school class a few months ago. Audrey was inspirational and a beauty inside and out.

Daughters and giraffes

We visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs where my children (not so small anymore) got to feed the giraffes. Here are Becky and Melissa, up close and personal with the giraffe. Do you see any similarities? In the girls? Giraffes have very long tongues. They like to eat crackers too.

More squirrel and a chipmunk

Doesn't this squirrel look wild? Oh, I guess it is! Ha ha. Two little chipmunks lived at the cabin too. Of course, I named them Chip and Dale, but more likely Dell (as in female). We enjoyed watching them. It's not something I see every day being from Oklahoma. I love Oklahoma, but Colorado is a beautiful place on earth.

Ebert squirrel in Colorado

This black squirrel is supposedly called an Ebert squirrel, found in the mountains of Colorado. It visited our cabin every day of our vacation. Loved that birdseed! It was a beauty, and so was Colorado. Look at that view!!

Cracker Barrel

This was a picture taken by my one and only sister, Megan. She is much younger than me, 26 years actually. Our dad passed away in July and this is the day of his funeral. We are at a Cracker Barrel near his home which is close to Denton, Texas. Daddy liked to eat at Cracker Barrel and IHOP. I sure miss him. I can't say that Cracker Barrel is my favorite place to eat, but I will never see one and not think of my dad. My son and I like their apple butter on biscuits.